The festival coincides with the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) marking its 80th year of campaigning for the nation’s canals and rivers and took place during Heritage Open Days. Arts and crafts, stalls, music, talks, plentiful food and sports activities all featured, creating a lively and successful event that attracted a great turnout.
Wolverton and Milton Keynes boast a unique canal and rail heritage. Canal workers moved to the area in the 19th century, and the canal helped bring the railway to Wolverton, with the arrival of the railway bringing employment and major changes to the town.
David Wolfson, Chair of MK Canals, gave talks explaining how these two major industries developed and eventually came to exist side by side as Wolverton grew from a canal village into a railway town.
David said:
“We were delighted to run this exciting festival on such a unique historic site. We wanted to bring together the shared story and importance of the canal and the railway. Working with leading community organisations from Wolverton and Milton Keynes alongside IWA, CRT and the Accessible Waterways Association, we want to make Milton Keynes’ canals better known, better used, and improved for the future.”
While celebrating this heritage, the festival also looked towards the changing needs and uses of the canal in the 21st century, with a growing focus on the use of the waterway system to support emerging climate needs and making the waterways accessible to everyone.
In June this year, a pioneering bollard scheme was installed in Wolverton, creating the first public accessible mooring site of its kind. The scheme to make mooring easier was delivered by MK Canals, working closely with Birmingham City University, the Accessible Waterways Association and Canal & River Trust.
Commenting on the pilot scheme, Tracey Clarke, Director at Accessible Waterways Association, an organisation led and run by people with lived experience who are motivated to make our inland waterways more accessible, said:
“We are proud to have been involved from the outset of the development of these bollards. The heritage is fantastic, but it has to work in tandem with modern needs. These bollards offer something for everybody, from disabled people to someone with a temporary condition. From making it easier for boaters to moor up to providing a perch for a passing walker, this initiative will hopefully prove to make a real and positive difference.”
In further, forward-facing canal innovation, a new electric bollard providing canalside utility hook-up point was installed along the Wolverton canal, providing power and water utilities specifically supporting the Electra, an all-electric community trip boat. This was installed with invaluable help from IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG).
Chris Curtis, MP for Milton Keynes North, said:
“It was a pleasure to come along to this event and see people celebrating our heritage, keen to learn about our waterway history and just having a good day. The new accessible mooring is an important example of how Wolverton’s waterways can continue to evolve so that everyone can enjoy the canal and the opportunities it provides.”
The Canal & Rail Festival is planned as the first of an annual event, building on Wolverton’s rich heritage while celebrating the canal as a vibrant part of the town’s present and future. With its combination of history, heritage, community, entertainment and innovation, organisers hope the festival will continue to grow and become a regular highlight of Wolverton’s calendar.
The successful first festival provided an opportunity to celebrate where Wolverton has come from, while looking ahead to what its canal and railway heritage can offer future generations.
