Read some of the lovely reviews and comments we have received from previous people who have booked a day trip. We hope to welcome you on board soon.
* Thank you very much for a wonderful day. Our party thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were excited and thrilled at sailing on the water 100feet in the air, and chugging through tunnels. It was a memorable occasion for our Forget Me Not (dementia cafe) people and we shall be back in touch to make another booking soon.
Andrew Hetherington EDIT This group have just had their 8th trip aboard!
* We had a brilliant day out on Saturday. The whole family really enjoyed the trip, my parents don’t get much of a chance to go out these days and they both enjoyed the superb views along the length of the canal. We lucky to enjoy the really good weather that day.
I did not know what to expect from the boat and the volunteer crew but it too was excellent. The boat spacious and comfortable and we were all impressed with the facilities and made full use of them for the duration of the trip! The volunteers were great, helpful and friendly, they also provided some historical background to the operation of the canal and the surrounding area.
Peter Chui
* well what can I say….?
We were absolutely blown away by the whole canal boat experience. Bob, Selwyn and Richard gave us a really warm welcome and helped us to unload our huge birthday lunch from the car. We filled the fridge right up – much to their amusement – and off we went. There were 6 adults and a 5 year old and we all loved every second. The boat was amazing – so good for people with mobility problems….. easy to board, comfortable seats and plenty of space. The kitchen was exceptionally well equipped and I needn’t have taken half the equipment I thought we would need. The bathroom was very modern and spacious and we couldn’t fault the cleanliness – it was spotless, as was the whole boat.
We finalised Mum’s birthday with a lovely cake and candles and everyone sang ‘HappyBirthday’. She was overwhelmed with the whole experience and didn’t stop smiling the whole time. We were unable to celebrate her 90th birthday because of the pandemic but this trip certainly made up for lost time – 2 years late but an occasion I don’t think she will ever forget. We gave our 3 lovely skippers a piece of cake each – the very least they deserved for their excellent service. They were pleasant and informative without being intrusive although we would have been happy to have them join us at any time.
We laughed a lot, learnt a lot and just loved the whole experience.
Huge thanks to everyone concerned – it’s a credit to you all.
Very best wishes
Lin and all the family.
* Can I just start by saying what a fantastic welcome we received from Vic and the crew. Vic was brilliant by changing his plans and taking all the group on an extended journey through to Chirk.
The feedback from the children and their parents/carers was extremely positive and they all had a fantastic experience. For many it was their first trip on a canal boat and going over the aqueduct was amazing.
Please pass on my best wishes to all the team and I look forward to organizing the second group of older students in the next few weeks.
St Christophers School, Wrexham
* I would like to thank you for giving us at Dynamic Futures the opportunity to experience a narrow boat ride on the canals from Trevor to Chirk and back. All of the young people have disabilities that can sometimes exclude them from activities that other young people take for granted so having a boat that was equipped to support their needs was invaluable to us.
None of the young people had been on a boat before and they were very excited beforehand and the lovely staff Norman and Trevor (I hope I have their names correct) made sure that they were not disappointed. The young people and staff all had a great experience and its something the young people are still talking about when looking at future activities. It was definitely a hit with them but something that I observed was particularly beneficial was the chance for them to sit and chat with only the view as a distraction – it was calming yet gave a space for conversation.
Again, thank you for the opportunity
Clare – on behalf of Dynamic Futures.
* Our day out was wonderful! The three gentlemen – Norman, John and Peter – were lovely, very caring, professional and unobtrusive as needed for our two young ladies.
The boat was excellent – clean, top quality, tidy, uncluttered, had everything we needed and well-spaced out – again perfect for our needs.
The two young women clearly loved it. My daughter is non-verbal but uses a voice machine. When asked if she was happy, she typed ‘yes’ and when asked if she would like to do it again, she typed ‘yes’. She smiled almost constantly and was up early that morning and could not wait for her day on the boat to start. Her house mate is more anxious and was not sure about it all, but with gentle persuasion from support staff agreed to come. She was quiet at first and frightened when we went into the first tunnel but supported by staff holding her hands. The nest tunnel was not a problem. We had a lovely picnic on the canal side by the Darkie tunnel. She was the one shouting, teasing and laughing loudly and out front with a staff member on the return trip through the Darkie and on the way back!! She has a little speech and when asked if she would like to do the trip again said ‘yes’, she was so happy and a big success there for the team.
The support staff and their team manager had a lovely day, able to bond and share a group activity which does not normally happen. Some came on their day off. It was a great success. Three of them were scared of heights and this had caused some lost sleep the night before – bless them, they challenged themselves to do it – I have a photo of the most frightened one standing out front with a big smile as the boat crossed the aqueduct on its return trip. She was so proud of herself.
So, very successful in so many ways – the happiness in the two young women and growth in confidence, in building memories, staff bonding, a lovely experience – including waving at passing boats and towpath users etc.
Thank you all very much. Dawn – July 2022