Camden Charity CCNA Tarporley: Community Canal Boat Highlights, January–April 2025

For CCNA Tarporley, 2025 has already been a big year for our small Camden Charity and our much loved Community Canal Boat, Tarporley. This first blog in a three-part series looks back at January to April and highlights how your support helped us bring people together on the water.

Camden Charity boat, Tarporley, on the Canal

January – beating Blue Monday together

In January, we chose to start 2025 with hope, not the usual Blue Monday gloom. Blue Monday can feel heavy for many people, especially in our busy city. Part of our mission is to invite local residents on board Tarporley to share calm time on the canal. Our trips hopefully remind all of us that our Community Canal Boat offers connection and breathing space all year, not just on one winter day.

Testing water samples on the Regent's Canal, courtesy of Tarporley

February – science on the Regent’s Canal

February brought a very different kind of voyage. We partnered with a team from the University of Bristol who used Tarporley to collect water samples from the Regent’s Canal. They returned in June to repeat the testing and compare results. Our volunteers helped the researchers access the right locations and talked with curious families on the towpath. Together we highlighted why clean, healthy waterways matter for wildlife and people. It was a great example of how a Community Canal Boat can support real-world science.

Celebrating Beryl Windsor's life with a green plaque

March – honouring Beryl Windsor

In March we were honoured to take part in a green plaque ceremony for Beryl Windsor. Beryl was the heart and soul of the Angel Canal Festival for more than two decades. She poured her time, energy and enthusiasm into building a much-loved community event. Standing by the water as the plaque was unveiled felt incredibly special. As a Camden Charity, we felt proud to celebrate someone who believed so deeply in the power of canals to bring neighbours together.

Two Camden Charities: London Canal Museum & Tarporley

April – Camden charity historic trips with the Canal Museum

April saw the return of one of our favourite partnerships. We resumed our yearly work with the London Canal Museum, offering historic boat trips between the museum and Kingsland Basin. Visitors stepped on board Tarporley and heard stories of working boats, cargoes and canal families. For many guests, the experience felt like discovering secret boat trips in London, right on their doorstep. Even more importantly, people met new friends, chatted with volunteers and saw the city from a gentler angle. These trips will run again from April to October next year, and we cannot wait to welcome the next batch of passengers.

As this first chapter of 2025 shows, Tarporley is far more than a boat. Our Community Canal Boat is a floating meeting place for learning, remembrance and joy. Thank you to everyone who joins a trip, donates, or volunteers with us. You keep this Camden Charity moving forward.