Our All Aboard canal boat made its first trip back in May 2021. Almost two and half years later, it's made over 200 trips, helping community groups across Edinburgh and the Lothians achieve their goals.
All Aboard's history begins further back than its first trip in 2021. In 2019, we started a consultation with our partners Polwarth Parish Church, highlighting the importance of Edinburgh's Union Canal, which the church resides on. The canal holds many memories for locals and has a rich heritage.
Our volunteers live these values too, as they regularly teach visitors about the canal's history and how to protect it. All Aboard has become a welcoming space for so many across the city, and everyone involved with the project has helped bring this to life.
From our initial consultation, we set out to create a project to celebrate the canal, its history and community. After being craned onto the canal in May 2021, the boat officially launched in September and has since made 1,000 hours’ worth of trips on the Union Canal through rain, wind, or shine. Such a significant milestone means we’ve had the pleasure of learning about and showcasing many inspiring community groups and charities that support Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Making memories on the canal
Volunteering with All Aboard is an opportunity like no other, and it gives those involved a chance to learn skills essential to life on the water. On top of this, volunteers interact and learn from guests from different community groups, furthering their network and expanding their volunteering horizons.
The support volunteers provide has led to some of our favourite memories over the last two and half years. Thanks to them, we’ve helped some great local organisations raise funds, meet new people, improve wellbeing and spread awareness. July marked a unique collaboration for All Aboard as it hosted Borscht Voyage, a fundraiser for those affected by flooding in the Kherson region of Ukraine. This celebration of culture harkens back to the original consultation in 2019 and what we set out to achieve and is something we know will remain core in the future of All Aboard.
These stories make up a small portion of the 1,000 hours travelled on All Aboard. There are so many stories to unpack; this year alone, All Aboard made 130 trips. The canal changes throughout the year with new wildlife, plants, passengers and boats, but one thing that remains consistent is All Aboard.
New horizons
Our work on All Aboard has been commended by parliamentarians as “inspiring” and featured by Songs of Praise, STV News, and BBC Scotland. There’s never been a better time to cheer for a great project committed to giving back to the city.
As the new year approaches, we look forward to welcoming both new and familiar faces onto All Aboard to make more memories for everyone involved. The future of All Aboard is exciting as we look to see how we can further improve All Aboard and the trips we offer.
A trip on All Aboard is like no other; our award-winning team of volunteers ensures everyone comes away enjoying the canal and all it has to offer. If you or someone you know is part of a community group or charity, we’d love to have you take a trip on All Aboard; as we embark on our next 1,000 hours on the canal.