#CharityTuesday In conversation with… Angel Community Canal Boat Trust (ACCT)
We spoke to Giles , Trustee and Chair of community organisation ACCT, to find out how they’re helping disadvantaged young people with a community canal boat
The Angel Boat is a charity (Angel Community Canal Boat Trust or ACCT) which operates a skippered community canal boat — ‘Angel II of Islington’ — for use by local residents and community groups of all ages at a cost they can afford. Based at Angel, Islington, London since 1976, our 12 berth community narrowboat each year provides some 2000 young people and other disadvantaged and isolated local community groups with residential and day trips under the supervision of our experienced skipper, Phil.
We spoke to Giles, trustee of the Angel Community Canal Boat Trust to find out more about the charity, including its challenges and any upcoming projects!
How did ACCT start?
A local resident, Crystal Hale, decided in the 1970s to give local kids the opportunity for water-based activities on City Road Basin, which was then a largely derelict area of Islington on a little used canal. She raised funds to set up the Islington Boat Club. Further funds were then raised to purchase a canal narrow boat to give young people residential trips around the country on the inland waterways, and this became a separate organisation from the Boat Club, and in due course became the Angel Boat. I have been involved as a trustee, and currently as chair, for over 30 years.
How do young people benefit from the boating experience?
Under the guidance of our experienced skipper young people, including those with a wide range of disadvantages, have the opportunity:
· to experience the fun and activity of a canal cruise
· to learn about the history and development of their local area and London through the inland waterways
· to see the extensive flora and fauna of the canal environment and understand the ecological balance
· to gain the confidence and social skills necessary for travelling, working and living together on a canal boat
· to learn new skills
· for many, to have the novel experience of a period away from the city, cars, street lights, TVs and all that comes with life in an inner city area
· to relax and enjoy the company of others.
Virtually everyone enjoys a cruise on a canal boat and the fun of helping operate a narrowboat 72 feet long along the canal and through locks and tunnels. And that enjoyment can easily be combined with practical learning, whether curriculum-based or about the environment or about people living and working together. For schools we offer our GOAL project (in conjunction with the London Canal Museum) and on a residential trip we offer our BOATS (water-based skills) course.
What are the challenges of running ACCT?
The Angel Boat is a small charity with one employee, and dependent on volunteer trustees and supporters. It relies on grants and donations from funding bodies and individuals, as well as the modest charges we make for our community users, and fundraising activities, and some hire fees we receive from private hirers which help support our activities. For 40 years we received substantial funding from Islington Council but we lost this in the most recent round of cuts. Many of our user organisations, including schools and adventure playgrounds and youth clubs, no longer have the funds to pay for a trip. Much time is spent in applying for grants, raising funds and encouraging regular financial support from ‘Friends’ and local businesses. We have a reliable and active body of volunteers and were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2015 and are always glad to welcome new volunteers with or without particular skills.
What would you say is the most rewarding part of running ACCT?
The most satisfying aspect of the Angel Boat’s work is seeing the smiles on peoples’ faces at the end of a trip, and the growth in confidence of our passengers, some of whom have learning difficulties or mental health issues or are just not used to being with others, as a trip progresses, and seeing young people learn to live, eat and operate a canal boat together during a residential trip.
Any exciting upcoming projects?
Angel is currently out of London for the summer giving young people residential trips along the Grand Union Canal. This is financed by a grant from BBC Children in Need. This autumn we start a project funded by Camden Giving of day trips for elderly and isolated residents, and a project funded by the Cripplegate Foundation of trips for minority ethnic (BAME) groups.
Find out more about Angel Community Canal Boat Trust here.
