Fundraiser for boaters who 'lost everything' in Whitchurch canal collapse tops £42,000 in two days
A fundraiser that was set up to help the boaters caught up in the embankment collapse on a canal in Whitchurch has surpassed £42,000 in just two days.
In the early hours of Monday (December 22) a serious breach tore through an 200-year-old embankment on the Llangollen Canal in the Chemistry area of Whitchurch.
One side of the massive structure gave way entirely, sending hundreds of millions of litres of water from over 30 kilometres of canal out into the surrounding fields.
For boats moored close by, the impact was devastating: two were swept into the breach, a third was left hanging over the edge of the collapse and eight boats were left stranded on the bottom of the empty canal.
Those onboard the boats when the breach occurred all managed to narrowly escape their homes and, incredibly, no one was hurt. But, for several boaters, the catastrophe has left them homeless just days before Christmas.
One of the boaters, Paul Stowe, whose boat was left perched over the edge of the collapse, told the Shropshire Star on Tuesday that he and his family had been left with nothing but the clothes on their back.
Following the incident, a fundraiser was set up for those affected by fellow narrowboater Paul Smith-Storey, who was moored just yards away from the stretch where the breach occurred.
Paul hopes the money raised will help the owners of the three boats caught up in the breach, stating that they had "lost everything".
Just 36 hours after the collapse, the project had raised £15,000. But, by 5pm the following day (December 24), the total had more than doubled - reaching £42,973 thanks to the help of more than 1,800 donors.
The fundraising page is available to view online at gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-boaters.
