The All Aboard Boat Launch event welcomed over 250 guests over three days, celebrating the launch of this new space for community cohesion and wellbeing
This past weekend, People Know How and Polwarth Parish Church launched our new bright yellow and blue canal boat, All Aboard. The boat, moored at the Polwarth Pontoon, aims to function as a space to nurture community cohesion and wellbeing.
We announced our partnership with Polwarth Parish Church in 2019, and subsequently ran a pilot of consultations and activities on a chartered canal boat, including projects and events for young people and the community. The pilot demonstrated the importance of our aims, and the response we received from participants was overwhelmingly positive.
When the pandemic struck we focused on continuing our engagement with the community through an online campaign centred on the history and stories of the Union Canal, and in the new year we finalised the purchase of our own custom-built canal boat. In June that boat was craned into the Union Canal, and we began getting it ready for its official launch.
The launch event welcomed over 250 guests over three days, starting with thank you events for funders, partners, young people and families and a visit from the Lord Provost and STV film crew. The second day opened the space up to the public, complete with boat tours and bagpipers, and provided information on getting involved with All Aboard through volunteering and collaborating on the boat. Finally, the weekend was brought to a close with a dedication mass held by Polwarth Parish Church.
Look ahead, we're inviting collaborations from organisations to make use of the boat to support the community through art, music, culture, heritage and more, as well as recruiting for volunteer crew and helmsman!
"Big thank you to everyone who came along to the launch, it was fantastic seeing so many people engaging with the boat and chatting with our team towards volunteering and collaborating together to achieving our aims.”
