Aroundtown Magazine Nov/Dec 2023 edition

FAMILY
Royal sail of
approval for Pearl
South Yorkshire charity, The Ethel Trust, had the
pleasure of welcoming the royal family’s ‘trustiest
anchor’ Princess Anne to officially launch their
second barge, Pearl.
The Princess Royal had flown
into Sheffield by helicopter to view
the new state-of-the-art community
barge that will be used by the Ethel
Trust for day trips and residentials for
disadvantaged groups in the region.
Having viewed the advanced
technology on the 57-foot-long boat,
including a hybrid engine assisted
by solar panels, Princess Anne, an
accomplished sailor, took over the
steering from the skipper for the
return trip into Victoria Quays.
She was absolutely
“
fantastic and such
good fun; there was
lots of laughter,
”
“When we approached Princess
Anne’s team to ask if she would like
to have a go at steering, we thought
she’d only do it for a few seconds.
But she stayed at the helm for quite a
while. It was only when a tight bridge
was coming up that she thought it
best she hand it back to the skipper.
“As the skipper was turning the
boat around, Princess Anne was
out front leaning over the edge to
judge the turning distance. She was
absolutely fantastic and such good
fun; there was lots of laughter,”
said David Tuck, a trustee at The
Ethel Trust.
Back on shore, Princess Anne
generously took time to talk to
every one of the Trust’s volunteers
individually, before officially naming
the barge ‘Pearl’ by unveiling a
commemorative plaque.
The Ethel Trust was established
in 1988 to provide unique waterway
experiences for a range of groups
including school children with
disabilities, young people with
mental health issues, adults with
additional needs and elderly people
in residential care.
Since being built in 1993, their
primary barge, Ethel, has done a
sterling job of carrying passengers.
However, plans for a second barge
were announced in 2021 by the
award-winning charity to expand their
services to more people.
It was made possible through a
very generous legacy from a grateful
passenger who wanted to ensure
many more could benefit from what
she had experienced.
Pearl was designed and
manufactured by Gary Cole of
Warwickshire-based company,
Colecraft Engineering.
“We drew up specifications
based on our existing boat and
thought we’d be getting Ethel mark
two. But the input from Gary means
that Pearl has a completely different
layout which has proven much better
for use as a residential boat.
“Ethel was never meant for
overnight stays; the bunks were
added in retrospect. But with Pearl,
Gary started from scratch and has
created a fantastic space that is
completely accessible,” David said.
Pearl has a level floor that runs
right throughout so users with
wheelchairs or limited mobility don’t
need a lift to access the front open
deck area. Even in bad weather,
passengers can still have great
views of the water from inside the
cabin thanks to French doors and
large windows.
There is also a fully accessible
bathroom big enough to
accommodate a wheelchair-user
and their carer and containing a
full-size shower cubicle. Plus, a fully
equipped kitchen, eight beds, plus a
separate dorm for the crew.
The addition of Pearl means the
Trust can now run trips throughout
the year from their two docks:
Victoria Quays on the Sheffield
& Tinsley Canal, and Stanilands
Marina in Thorne on the Stainforth
& Keadby canal.
The service is run entirely by
volunteers and the Trust are always
looking for more people to join their
team. They have seen an increase
in people joining over the last year
and now have a team of 40 people,
a quarter of whom are women. They
also have their first female skipper,
Liz Cuckson, who started as a crew
member then decided she wanted
to do the practical training course to
enable her to captain the barge.
“You don’t need any previous
experience with boats as full training
is provided. Our volunteers mainly
support the mental and physical
health of our passengers so it’s
more important to be interested in
working with people. What makes
volunteering here so interesting is all
the different people you get to meet.
“It’s really flexible and there
are no set shifts. All we ask is that
people spare two days a month. We
publish a trips list and our volunteers
let us know what days they can do
around their other commitments,”
David said.
For more information about how
to get involved, visit
www.etheltrust.co.uk
48 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk