Shropshire Star to make a splash as narrowboat launched
The Shropshire Star will set sail on the region's waterways this weekend when it gives its name to a new canal boat.
The 70ft narrowboat will be used to take passengers on pleasure cruises along the Shropshire Union Canal from its base at Norbury Junction, near Newport.
It will be officially launched at a VIP naming ceremony on Saturday, as part of the Norbury and Shrewsbury Canal Trust's annual bank holiday festival.
Today, staff at the wharf were busy putting the finishing touches to the refurbishment of the boat, originally built in 1969, which operated under a different name on the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal until last year.
Norbury Wharf manager David Ray said: "We have stripped out the interior fittings and either renewed or refurbished everything from the carpet upwards. Although we have not had time to completely repaint the exterior – that's a job for next winter – we have smartened it up and changed the name.
"We already cater for people who want to hire a boat for the day or the week and we sell boats to those who have fallen in love with the canals.
"This is a way of allowing everyone to get a taste of one of our great national assets."
The Shropshire Star will operate as public trip boat at weekends from May to November, with plans for a Christmas programme also being discussed. The boat will also be available for charter during the week
The arrival of the Shropshire Star trip boat revives a 50-year-old tradition. The man who will steer the boat on it first outing from its Norbury base is Mal Edwards, who steered the first ever trip boat to operate from there – a converted wooden working boat called Iona, which was horse-drawn between the 1960s and 1980s.
Mr Ray said: "We are delighted that Mal has agreed to steer this first journey. Not only did he steer the old Iona trip boat from here for many years, he was the last lengthsman on the Newport and Shrewsbury Canal.
"We will be launching this new service on the day the Newport and Shrewsbury Canal Trust have their annual event here at Norbury, and we hope their plans to reopen the canal go ahead."
