Help us get "Southam" up and running again.

Not far off her 90th birthday, Southam is now a very old boat, but one that could have a very good future serving the community. She belongs to the Wooden Canal Boat Society, a charity dedicated to saving historic wooden canal boats and putting them to work for the community. Built in 1936 she carried goods until being fitted with an engine and converted for pleasure/residential use in 1965. The charity acquired her, sunk, in 1992 and renovated her to play a useful role in a recycling project. By the 2010s she needed more work, which started in 2019, but was stymied by the Covid pandemic. At the start of 2025 work will begin, strengthening up her old hull, renewing planks, then re-cladding and re-fitting her cabin. A replacement engine, similar to the one fitted in 1965, has already been acquired. When she is ready she will have several roles. She will be able to take her turn at towing Hazel the Well Being boat, which provides time on the canal for people with mental health issues. She will represent the charity at waterway events, possibly selling craft items to raise funds for further boat restorations. She will provide accommodation for visiting volunteers and provide volunteers with opportunities to experience the waterways away from the charity's base in Tameside. Here's a video clip of Southam towing Lilith on a trip to Lincoln to collect timber for Hazel's restoration in 2011. With your help we can bring scenes like this back to the waterways.