We look forward to seeing you onboard
Electra Community Cruises 2024
Sponsored Cruises for Community Groups
We pride ourselves on being a community boat. As well as raising awareness of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway project, we aim to offer memorable canal experiences to all of Milton Keynes’ diverse populations.
We’ve developed our Family Specials Programme which ‘pays it forward’ for many potential guests who experience barriers due to finance, illness, disability, mental health issues, lack of access or awareness, and cultural barriers relating to use of open spaces. We hope we can benefit many of these groups in our city by offering free or part-funded Electra cruises for people who might otherwise never enjoy a memorable time on the water.
Electra guests generously donated an amazing £3,600 during July 2023-June 2024 to support our Family Specials Programme. This lets us offer 18 free cruises this year. So far we’ve organised trips for Ukraine Appeal, Keech Hospice, The Bus Shelter, Jo’s Hope Breast Cancer Charity, MK Foodbank, Stony Stratford Lions Club Food Cupboard & Food Bank volunteers, Spinal Injuries Association, Young Carers, Ride High, Willen Hospice, MKCC Short Breaks Respite Service, Camp Hill and Priory Brain Injuries Unit. We are planning trips with a further five organisations.
Our target now is to double the Programme in 2025, so that we can offer 36 sponsored cruises – one for each week of our cruising season. Donations continue to come through our on-board collections and online ticketing system. We are now also inviting individuals and businesses to support the Family Specials Programme. Please email us at electra@bmkwaterway.org to find out about our offer to sponsors.
Special Events in Partnership
We enjoy working with other local organisations to encourage more people to get out and about, on and beside the canal. We run special events and attend local festivals. We’re always looking for new opportunities – please contact us at electra@bmkwaterway.org if you’d like to invite us to work with you. For example:
Walk & Glide Weekends
In partnership with the Parks Trust we run occasional Walk & Glide Weekends. Different three-hour walk/cruise options enabled people to explore more of Milton Keynes’ waterside parkland, and experience the peacefulness of gliding along the canal on an electric boat. The walks, led by Parks Trust volunteers, have stops at points of interest, such as the new Gyosei Art Trail sculptures, or medieval fishponds and ‘ridge and furrow’ farmland. Electra volunteers gave walkers a warm welcome on board, with refreshments available from the Galley Bar.
Heritage Events
(Photo Credit: Adrian Court)
Electra runs cruises to and from Heritage Open Days events in September at Great Linford Manor Park, plus return cruises from the Park to New Bradwell. Park visitors enjoy popping on board to see the facilities Electra can offer, find out about our cruises, and take a ‘look under the bonnet’ at our bank of batteries as a fully-electric boat. We’re keen to develop links in future with other heritage sites too, and to offer canal history cruises.
Fenny Stratford Canal Festival
Electra runs short cruises at the annual Fenny Stratford Canal Festival organised by volunteers in the Inland Waterways Association MK Branch. It’s a great opportunity to meet potential new volunteers and let people know about our cruises. We donate Gift Vouchers as raffle prizes and look forward to hosting the lucky winners.