Ilkeston back home

The 100 years old butty Ilkeston is now back at the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port after its season around the country.

Ilkeston, an unpowered narrowboat had been restored by the staff, trainees and volunteers in the museum's Heritage Boatyard, and has been away from the museum visiting canal festivals and the London Canal Museum all summer. In the picture is Councillor Angela Claydon, CaRT Council member John Yates and Debbie Lumb.

Large crowd

She was welcomed back to Ellesmere Port by Deputy Mayor Angela Claydon, Museum General Manager John Inch and a large crowd of public, museum staff and volunteers.

John Yates, who had towed Ilkeston home with his own narrowboat, gave the crowd some statistics from her voyage, telling them that Ilkeston had travelled 229 miles from London, taking 542 man hours, working through 226 locks.

New Head of Museums

Ilkeston was also welcomed by Debbie Lumb, the new Head of Museums and Attractions for the Canal & River Trust. Debbie has previously been a waterways manager across the North West for the CaRT and previously British Waterways and she is now looking after all the museums and attractions for the Trust—National Waterways Museum, Anderton Boat Lift, Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre, Gloucester Waterways Museum and the Canal Museum, Stoke Bruerne.

The return ceremony was part of the museum's sell-out beer festival taking place over the weekend - thirsty volunteers finished off the last of the real ale after threes days festival of ale and music.