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The Floating Garden Festival

The Floating Garden Festival - 7th - 15th June 2008

One of the highlights of Cheshire's Year of Gardens '08, the Floating Garden Festival aims to promote one of Cheshire's greatest assets - its inland waterways. Four decorated heritage boats will depart from Audlem in the South, Bollington in the East, Trafford in the North East and Ellesmere Port to the west of the county. They will meet at the Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival, an annual event which this year takes place 13th - 15th June 08.

The boats will be florally decorated, taking the theme 'Made in Cheshire' as inspiration. En route to their final destination, there will be a number of staged events. This might be a small concert or performance in a canal side pub, or even a welcome from the local Mayor or Parish Chairman.

On arrival at Middlewich, the boats will take centre stage at the annual Folk & Boat Festival. They will be moored in a central location for the weekend, for people to view and enjoy. In addition, there will be a programme of canal-related activities over the weekend, with music, dance, workshops, arts, displays and exhibitions, all celebrating the waterways, traditional industries and culture of this historic county.

Along with the heritage boats we will be encouraging other boaters to join in, creating more awareness as the festival progresses along the canals.

The Boat from Bollington, along the Macclesfield Canal.
British Waterways will provide their heritage boat Lindsay, a cargo narrowboat, with crew. It will arrive at Clarence Mill, Bollington in the week before 7th June, where it will be decorated, ready to depart south on the canal towards Macclesfield and Congleton on 8th June.

It is intended that Lindsay will be decorated with lots of hanging baskets and tubs, donated by local societies and organisations. In this way, the event will involve the wider communities of Macclesfield and Congleton Boroughs, as well as those adjacent to the Macclesfield Canal. The co-ordination of the floral displays will be undertaken by Chris Harrop, a Bollington-based floral designer who has kindly offered to lend her talents to this exciting project.

Bollington will hold a Floral Weekend on 7/8 June to send Lindsay on its way. During the weekend, visitors will be able to see the boat being decorated and there will be a number of other events throughout the town - Open Gardens, plant sales, etc..

Pott Shrigley's Rose Queen will launch the boat on Sunday afternoon, with Bollington Brass Band providing a fanfare of musical entertainment.

Boat owners will be invited to join the flotilla along the Macclesfield Canal for as much of the journey as they wish and it is proposed that all participants will be given a window sticker or similar to show their participation.

Lindsay will moor at Macclesfield Marina on Sunday evening and the Puss in Boots pub and Freedom Boats will be invited to make an evening event of this opportunity.

Macclesfield Canal Society have agreed to man Bosley Locks on Monday 9th June and to put up a display about the society along the canalside. This will be advertised as a public event and information will also be circulated to schools.

The boat will arrive in Rode Heath on Wednesday 11th June for the fun filled Odd Rode festival. Activities to be confirmed are a bouncy castle, a brass band, refreshments, a tea party, dance troupes, stalls, music with much more in the pipeline. See here for more details, coming soon!!!

Throughout the route, the public will be encouraged to come and view the flotilla, to walk alongside it for stretches of the canal, to join in the canalside events.

Once Lindsay reaches the Middlewich Fold & Boat Festival the floral displays will be sold and all proceeds will be donated to the East Cheshire Hospice.