UNSUNG HEROES: The volunteers who man lifeboats and inshore rescue boats around Britain’s coasts do not get as much credit as they deserve for their dedication
Brothers Chris, Keith and Jeffrey French had summer jobs on the river when they were growing up so it was probably no surprise when their mum, Margaret Anne, suggested the three brothers should join together and set up a venture offering trips on the river to paying passengers back in 1978.
Canal and waterway restoration seems to have taken off in the past couple of decades with more and more waterways being put back into public usage – and I take my hat off to all those hardy volunteers who put their backs (and quite often their own money) into this kind of environmental reconstruction.
It’s difficult to believe, but Christmas is fast approaching and thoughts of taking the boat out on the river are probably fading rapidly from most people’s memories.
