History

History of the Trust

In the begining ...

In the begining ...

In 1987 Dick Gettens was a Senior Youth Worker in South West Hertfordshire. Dick gathered together a group of enthusiasts to build a boat that would enable community and youth groups to access the waterways. The South West Herts Narrowboat Project was born. This was an ambitious proposal, but the continued existence of the original boat is proof enough that it was not such a folly.

The boat shell was constructed by Stowe Hill Marine, Weedon, Northamptonshire, but the whole of the interior was fitted out by the Project's original trustees.

The original grant to build the boat came from the South West Herts Divisional Youth and Community. The reduced purchase price of an engine from Iveco made it possible to start the boat shell and superstructure construction, knowing that the first stage of the project could be completed within the budget available. By Autumn 1987 the order was placed with Stowe Hill Marine to begin the construction and by November the same year, the boat was placed on the water for the first time.

At the builders, the engine was fitted, together with the interior panelling. By Easter 1988 the boat was ready to be moved from Stowe Hill Marine. It was taken down the canal from Weedon to Hunton Bridge, where it is now moored.

More fund raising was required to fit out the interior and to decorate the outside of the boat. Local companies and the BBC's Children In Need helped with the funding to complete the project. The boat was then despatched to a dry dock in Tring to be painted for the first time.

Fitting out the interior was a full year's work, but by Spring 1989 the boat was ready for an official launch. The official launch in May 1989 was reported in the local Watford and Abbots Langley newspapers.

Dick Gettens died shortly after the official launch and the boat's name was changed from Lady Capel to Dick's Folly in memory of him.

More recently ...

In 2009 Dick's Folly suffered a leak from one of the water tanks onboard which caused damage to most of the interior woodwork. The boat was completely stripped by a team of volunteers during the winter and fundraising became the main activity of the Project. Arrangements were made with Starline Marine of Worcestershire to start work on the boat while fundraising was still in progress. Thousands of pounds were raised by volunteers of the Project and finally in the Spring of 2011, the Project received a bequest from the late Graham Pickett, which enabled us to finalise the work on the boat.

Early in 2012 the plans for a new wheelchair accessible narrowboat, to be named Pickle's Folly in memory of Graham Pickett, were finalised and the contract with Starline Marine to build the boat was signed. The boat was finished in December 2012 and a volunteer crew travelled to Stourport-on-Severn on New Year's Eve to begin its maiden cruise to the Project's base at Hunton Bridge. The crew's log and photos of this voyage can be seen on this page.

The committee decided in 2018 to move from being a charity to becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and changing the name to South West Herts Narrowboat Trust, moving the Project into the 21st Century and ensuring a confident future. The Trust also registered with the Royal Yacht Association to become an approved training centre for their Inland Waterways Helmsman and Crew qualifications.
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