Following months preparing for an MCA certification (Maritime & Coastguard Agency) the historic tug tender Daniel Adamson has passed and on 30 September 2016 cruised with passengers along the river Weaver, a trip enabled only through the work of The Canal & River Trust.
On 30 September Daniel Adamson left Ellesmere Port on a cruise along the Weaver, which will not only be her first trip with the public, it will also be her first trip along the river after the The Canal & River Trust completed their current dredging programme. This momentous trip will lead to Acton Bridge Steam Fair for the weekend (1-2 October), with the tug tender returning on 3 October.
Chairman of The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society, Dan Cross said: “The river Weaver is Cheshire’s hidden Gem, a glorious and scenic waterway cutting right through the heart of the Cheshire countryside while its history and architecture remind us of its once important status as a commercial waterway.
“I grew up and worked on the River Weaver and I am delighted that thanks to the cooperation and determination of the Canal & River Trust in working with us, we are able to bring Daniel Adamson up the river to Acton Bridge for the Little Leigh Steam Party.
“Bringing up to one hundred passengers into the heart of Cheshire is a vital step in what we hope will become a regular cruising ground for the Daniel Adamson, which we believe to have never navigated the Weaver before and a fitting cruise to mark the completion of the near £3 million re-fit of the vessel, made possible by the generosity of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the work done by Cammell Lairds, over one hundred thousand hours of work by our volunteers and donations in cash and kind from many other bodies and organisations since 2004.”
Wendy Capelle, waterway manager at the Canal & River Trust said: “We are delighted that working closely with the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society and thanks to our contractors, we’ve been able to dredge the River Weaver to enable this magnificent steam ship to sail up the River Weaver. It should be quite a momentous journey so I would encourage people to book a place on this special trip.”
Daniel Adamson was open to the public from Tuesday 27 September at Ellesmere Port, berthed near to The National Waterways Museum where she will be until 30 September. She will then be heading to Albert Dock, Liverpool where she will be open to the public for dates until the end of 2016.
The future of Daniel Adamson will be as a moving visitor and museum attraction which will be available static at Albert Dock and Ellesmere Port as well as offering cruises and availability for private hire.
Whilst static, the tug tender will offer an interactive ‘story-experience’, bringing alive unique tales through tours which include real-life stories from past boat workers, sights, sounds of the past and our own revealing and surprising storytellers.
The River Weaver Cruise tickets are on sale online only via www.thedanny.co.uk
