With enormous sadness
It is with enormous sadness that I must advise you of the very sad loss of Graham Mabbutt who passed away on 22nd June 2022. Everyone involved with the John Bunyan Boat and the B&MK Waterway Trust will know just how much Graham contributed to our Trust and enterprises in both Milton Keynes and Bedford. To say he will be greatly missed is an inadequate understatement. Graham put his heart and soul initially into the Waterway Trust and then the John Bunyan boat, and in 2019 into inspiring and leading the initial development of the Electra project. Until his recent illness forced him to step down Graham was a constant presence on the John Bunyan. Its overwhelming success as a real icon of Bedford and the River Great Ouse is down to him. It was Graham who persuaded me to join the Trust, “ just for a year or so”, and that was back in 2014. Graham was highly persuasive with his infectious smile and dogged attitude. He has made all of us involved with the Trust and the operation of the John Bunyan boat what we are today. We can never thank him enough.
We were due to make a presentation to Graham at the Trust AGM this year to mark our very deep and sincere thanks to him. Sadly the presentation never happened as Graham was admitted to hospital that morning. We will, in due course, make a presentation to his family. What he achieved with and for all of us will be remembered with great affection and respect: he has been an inspiration to us all.
Photo courtesy of Steve Ashley © 2022
Graham earlier this year unveiling the
Queens Award for Voluntary Service
awarded to the John Bunyan Boat Volunteers.
Jane Hamilton
Chair, Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust
Welcome to the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Park
The Waterway Park is an ambitious project to link the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes with the River Great Ouse in Bedford. Just 16 miles (26Km) in length it will have a huge regional impact creating a waterway park and establishing a green corridor right at the heart of future developments on the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, a legacy for future generations.
The Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust is a charity and company limited by guarantee. It was established in 1995 to “promote and assist in the provision and maintenance of a new waterway and associated facilities and structures connecting the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes to the River Great Ouse at Bedford, for the benefit of local inhabitants and visitors”.
What’s happening in the BMK Waterway Park
We are always busy promoting the Waterway Park, raising funds and awareness through our community boats and working on projects along the route. View all news here
John Bunyan Boat volunteers honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
The volunteers of the John Bunyan Community boat have been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the MBE for volunteer groups. They are among 244 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.
John Lewis and Waitrose team up with community boat Electra.
Tenants from sheltered housing in Bletchley, for people living with dementia, were treated to a canal boat cruise on Thursday 28th May, thanks to the generosity of the John Lewis Partnership.
The Board of the Inland Waterway Association visit Bedford
On the 12th March Bedford was honoured to host, for the first time, the board of the Inland Waterway Association. IWA is a national organisation which works to protect and restore Britain’s network of canals and navigable rivers for the enjoyment of everyone.
THE JOHN BUNYAN BOAT ANNOUNCES NEW CRUISES FOR THIS SUMMER
April draws near which signals the start of the John Bunyan Community Boat’s cruising season. This year we have a number of new cruises which encompass the delight of cruising with another activity be it dining, learning of the History of Bedford or even Gin. Starting in April on the 18th April there will be […]
The John Bunyan Community Boat announces the 2022 Cruise Program.
April to September will see the familiar sight of the blue and white John Bunyan Community Boat gracing the River Great Ouse in and around Bedford. Over 46,000 passengers have enjoyed cruising on the vessel in the past 9 years on various trips, from Kempston in the West to Great Barford in the East. Manned entirely by volunteers for the benefit of the residents of Bedford and surrounding districts.
The Parks Trust teams up with Electra to offer new cruising opportunities
Major works to restore and interpret the historic park at Great Linford Manor have included the provision of a mooring point for Electra.
BMK Newsletter April 2022
Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust Newsletter April 2022: BMK news April 2022 Nov 2021: BMK news Nov 2021 July 2021: BMK news July 2021 March 2021: BMK news March 2021 October 2020: BMK news Oct 2020
Your donations are making the waterway park a reality
Extending the navigation on the Gt Ouse, marking & securing the route as well as technical and economic studies, these are just some of the projects we are working on.
Make a DonationWould you like to volunteer with us?
All of our work from running the community boats to planning and promoting the route is carried out by volunteers. We are always looking for enthusiastic people to get involved.
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