Boats and mugs for festival.
THE organisers of this year's Etruria Jubilee Canals Festival are expecting double the number of boats, with 20 heritage boats already heading for Etruria on the Trent & Mersey Canal.
In addition to the boats taking part in the Jubilee Flotilla, mirroring the floating parade being held on the Thames in London, there will be a Royal Diamond Jubilee Tea Party.
Historic
To further the royal connection, three of the historic boats were built in the reign of Queen Victoria, and the flotilla will be led by one of the oldest, Elizabeth, which is the oldest carrying narrowboat converted for cruising and holiday use.
To commemorate the jubilee, a unique new commemorative bone china mug has been produced, made of course in the Potteries, celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. Visitors to the festival will be able to ‘take tea with the Queen' and take the mug back home with them.
Cargo of mugs
The design celebrates the jubilee and the canals of the area. After the Etruria festival, the boats will carry the Jubilee Cargo of mugs to festivals at Middlewich and Northwich later in June.
Amongst other attractions at the Etruria Festival, the historic steam engine Princess in the Etruria Industrial Museum will be ‘in steam' for the weekend, stationary engines and vintage tractors will be on display, and visitors will be able to ‘Have-a-Go' with pottery sessions with Etruria Artists and the Prince's Regeneration Trust.
Attractions
Music and dance, local foods and drinks, craft works and other displays will enhance the attractions on the site at the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Caldon canals off Etruria Vale Road. There will be lots of things for children and families to do and see at this popular free event at the beginning of June.
This will be the twentieth year of free canals festivals at Etruria which regularly attract up to ten thousand visitors over the weekend. For the first time, this year's festival is being totally run by volunteers under the wing of the Inland Waterways Association Stoke Branch.