The 'Boat of Hope' Mission was fronted by Canal Ministries , with support from boats from Boaters Christian Fellowship . Generally there is a mission at some location on the canal network every two years. The idea is to link with local churches to spread the Word to the local community, and provide information about history and modern life living on a boat.
This year the mission was to Thatcham and Newbury. The top two pictures show the boats moored at Victoria Park in Newbury.
During each week, we hosted visits from local schools and evening organisations, speakers attended school assemblies, Breakfast Clubs and other meetings. One member of our team who is blind did a public talk on living on a boat, and other members held gigs of folk music at local pubs. Over the weekends, we opened our homes to the public and welcomed everyone aboard, held fêtes and outdoor services in the park. The picture shows Rev. Peter with one of his puppets, talking to a group of children on the towpath.
