The star of the event was without doubt Jeremy Batch who, as lock keeper and canal historian delighted passengers with his wealth of knowledge, history and facts about the Limehouse Cut and River Lea.
At Limehouse Basin. From left to right, Selina, a colleague at the ODA, myself and Mark Bensted from British Waterways (image courtesy of British Waterways):
Passengers were treated to a variety of subjects from the ODA volunteers including the plans and stages involved in constructing the Olympic Park, the launch of the Cultural Olympiad, building a sustainable and environmentally friendly Games and Park, overviews of the structures and utilities involved in creating the Park and lots of interesting facts, history and future aspirations of the Park.
Halfway through the tour, the Jenny Wren stopped at Old Ford Lock so passengers could alight and take in the Olympic Stadium site from the Greenway. This proved a very popular part of the tour and passengers enjoyed being able to ask questions of the ODA representatives about the construction of the Olympic Park.
At Old Ford Lock. From Left to right, Sarah from the ODA and Richard Rutter, British Waterways (image courtesy of British Waterways):
The return journeys were an opportunity to spot more wildlife on the river and canal and take in the wonderful atmosphere of the waterways.
At the end of each tour, the feedback was incredibly positive and I was really pleased to have been able to organise this event on behalf of the ODA. It proved a really good relationship building experience with British Waterways and we hope to work with them on new initiatives in the future.
