The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services – 2007

Seagull Trust Cruises

Free Canal Cruising in Scotland for People with Special Needs

Formerly the Seagull Trust

ã Seagull Trust Cruises
January 2008

Falkirk

The Falkirk Branch was formed in 1982 with the aim of cruising on the Union Canal. After much fund raising, most of it locally in the Falkirk area, a canal boat was designed and built. It was named the “Govan Seagull” in 1984 and entered service with the Branch in 1985.  Cruising originally took place on the Forth & Clyde Canal from Lock 16 at Camelon, to Bonnybridge while British Waterways prepared the Union Canal for the Govan Seagull. 

Whilst on the Forth & Clyde Canal the Govan Seagull was moored in the open and became the target of vandalism. In an effort to combat this some of the perpetrators were tracked down and taken for a cruise, in order to explain what the canal boat was used for and who cruised on it.  Subsequently the former perpetrators became unofficial minders for “their” canal boat - even to the alleged extent of throwing other vandals into the Canal when they were caught in the act!!

In 1987 the Govan Seagull was transferred up to the Union Canal and moored at Greenbank, at the extreme West end of the Canal, while the Falkirk reception centre and boathouse was designed and built.  The canal boat once again became the target of a great deal of vandalism because she was moored in open country and did not benefit from the close attention of her unofficial minders.

In 1992 the Falkirk reception centre and boathouse was opened at Bantaskine and provided secure accommodation for the Govan Seagull and extensive facilities for our guests and branch meetings.

Falkirk’s Boathouse at Bantaskine on the Union Canal

THE BANTASKINE RECEPTION CENTRE.

After the Trustees of the Seagull Trust had sanctioned the building of a reception centre for the Falkirk Branch a massive fund raising project was instigated and the people of Falkirk and surrounding areas donated a large proportion of the cost of building the Centre.  This was a very generous gesture on behalf of the local population and it is greatly appreciated by the thousands of disabled people who have subsequently used the Centre and cruised on the Govan Seagull.

In 1992 the Bantaskine Reception Centre (shown above) was opened and it provides secure docking for the Govan Seagull with lounge, catering and toilet facilities for our guests.  The Centre was custom designed and built for the Seagull Trust incorporating all our needs and is located in Bantaskine Park in Falkirk. A tarred road, suitable for the mini buses used by many organisations that cruise with us, leads from Gartcows Road up to and over the Canal to a spacious car park.  The Centre is on two levels - on the car park level there is an entrance foyer, a furnished lounge with full height windows overlooking the dockside where guests can relax before boarding the Seagull, a fully equipped kitchen and two spacious toilets equipped for disabled people with sufficient space to allow for a changing table for the more seriously disabled.  From this level a stairway and hydraulically operated wheelchair lift lead down to the dockside where, by means of a gently sloping ramp, our guests can board the canal boat.  There are facilities for watering and fuelling the boat and the dock provides a warm and dry environment for maintenance of the canal boat during the close season.

The Reception Centre is also used for the Falkirk Branch Committee meetings, Trustees meetings and on occasions for meetings of other local charitable bodies.

THE  GOVAN  SEAGULL.

The Govan Seagull is a purpose built canal boat designed in Yarrows Shipyard to the Seagull Trusts specifications. It was built by the apprentices at the old Fairfields Yard at Govan on the River Clyde.  The boat is 45 feet (13.7m) long, 10 feet (3m) wide, weighs 18 tonnes, and is powered by a diesel engine that is limited to a maximum speed of 4 knots (faster speeds cause damage to the canal banks). She is able to carry a total of twelve passengers comprising a maximum of 10 disabled people (of which no more than 6 can be in wheelchairs) plus 2 carers. The boat is fully equipped to accommodate disabled passengers having a powered lift to gently lower the passengers on board, a large saloon with plenty of windows at bank level, easily adjustable, or removable, tables and chairs to accommodate wheelchairs, a flush toilet suitable for disabled people and a fully equipped galley from which refreshments are served during cruises. Passengers are able to sit out on the spacious fore deck if the weather is favourable.  The crew are all volunteers and the canal boat is generally crewed by a skipper and two other crew members who assist with the operation of the canal boat, provide tea or coffee and help to look after the welfare of the passengers. The boat is equipped with a mobile phone and portable gangway for use in emergency and the local emergency services are supplied with details of access points to the canal in the area of our cruises.

THE  CRUISES.

Three lengths of cruise are catered for being of one, two or three hour duration, and now we have the option to cruise to, and go down, the Falkirk Wheel.

The one hour cruise takes the Govan Seagull west from Bantaskine to the end of the canal at Greenbank, passing the head of the old flight of 11 locks down to the Forth & Clyde Canal, then back past the boathouse, under Walkers Bridge to a turning point known locally as Swans Nest (due to the nest used annually by our swans!!!) and then back to the boathouse.  From this stretch of the Canal there are, to the North, views over the town of Falkirk and across the valley of the River Forth to the Ochill Hills in the North and up the Forth valley to the northwest. On the South side is the open parkland of Bantaskine Estate.

An artists impression, commissioned by William Forbes, showing the undesirable effect of the planned canal.

The two hour cruise goes east from the boathouse, under Walkers Bridge, past Swans Nest and through a deep cut into the tunnel under Prospect Hill. This tunnel is the first canal tunnel dug in Scotland. It was built because William Forbes of Callendar Estate (the owner of Callendar House which sits in the shadow of Prospect Hill) refused to allow the canal to follow the contour around the Hill within sight of Callendar House and its gardens. The canal engineers were therefore forced to dig a tunnel through the Hill.  The tunnel, 690 yards (631m) long and at least 12 feet (3.6m) high was cut through the solid limestone, coal bearing rock and millstone grit of Prospect Hill and, like the rest of the canal, was cut by the brute force of the navvies with picks, shovels and using gunpowder to blast the rock into small pieces. Many of the “shot holes” can still be seen in the walls today. The tunnel was built by digging down through the rock from above, then through these shafts and working outwards towards the ends, the navvies met the others tunnelling inwards. These shafts can still be seen in the tunnel roof.  The tunnel is well lit during the trip by floodlights fitted to the Govan Seagull and permanent lights throughout the length of the tunnel. Passengers are able to see the calcite deposits which in places look like bony skeletal hands, (dead mens fingers), and the stalactites that have formed over the years by water filtering through the rock and leaving the minerals deposited on the stonework. It is interesting to note that two of the labourers working on the tunnel were the infamous Burke and Hare, the Edinburgh body snatchers. It is not thought that they knew each other at this time, however Hare’s common law wife came from Grangemouth and they later used the canal to secretly transport the bodies from Falkirk, Polmont and Linlithgow to Edinburgh. The towpath continues through the tunnel, although it is fenced off from the water. It is a popular walk for locals and visitors alike.

Once out of the tunnel we pass under two bridges, the first being known as the “Laughin’ Greetin’ Bridge” probably the most notable bridge on the Canal.  The keystones on this bridge are engraved with faces - the one facing west being that of a crying (or greetin’) man and the one facing east being that of a laughing man.  The reason for the engravings are lost in the mists of time but it is thought that the east looking, Laughing face looked over the contractor who had the easy, and profitable, job of digging the level open canal to Edinburgh, whilst the Greetin’ west face looked over the contractor who had the hard and dangerous job of digging the tunnel and then the eleven locks down to the Forth & Clyde Canal, and who went bankrupt as a result. We then cruise on to the “Dead Tree” where the boat is turned back to the boathouse. 

The carved keystones of the Laughing, Greetin’ Bridge

The three hour cruise is a combination of the one and two hour cruises

Apart from the scenic and architectural sights along our routes there is plenty of wildlife to be seen. The Canal is home to a wide variety of wildlife from fish such as pike, to frogs, toads, dragonflies, pond skaters, ducks, moorhens and of course our swans which nest annually at the Swans Nest and over the years have successfully reared up to eight cygnets at a time. Birds nest in the reeds and grasses growing at the side of the canal and are to been seen flying off on the approach of the boat, however the swans are used to us now and will come to the boat, with the cygnets, to be fed with biscuits and bread from the passengers.

Our passengers came from a wide variety of organisations, hospitals and homes ranging from pensioners lunch clubs, day centres, hospitals for the mentally and physically disabled and respite care centres.  Some of our passengers are very severely disabled, and require special needs which we do our best to fulfil, and they are on a one-to-one basis with their carers. Many groups are regular visitors to the Govan Seagull and we look forward to welcoming them back each year, and indeed we impose no limit on the number of cruises any one group may have during the season. Organising a cruise is a simple procedure and everything possible will be done to cater for your needs.

THE FALKIRK WHEEL.

On the 24th May 2002 Her Majesty the Queen officially opened the Falkirk Wheel and in doing so the Union Canal and the Forth & Clyde Canal were once again joined by a navigable waterway after a break of seventy years.

We now cruise on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the Falkirk Wheel and back, taking one party from the boat house to the Wheel Basin and after lunch in the Basin and a look at the Visitors Centre we pick up a second party and return to the boat house with them. The trip takes about two hours and although we always go to the Wheel on Tuesday and Thursday, other days can be organised to suit your specific requirements.

THE  COMMITTEE.

In common with Seagull Trust policy the Falkirk Branch is manned totally by volunteers, both on the committee and in those who crew the Govan Seagull.  On the Committee we have officers whose professional training and expertise is put to very good use in running the Branch and operating and maintaining the Govan Seagull such as, Building, Construction, Marine Engineering, Merchant Navy Ship Captains, Medical Doctors and Health Care Workers.  The members listed below can be contacted for any information required about our operations or organisation and for details on booking cruises.

Mrs. E. Milne (Chairman),  37, Gartcows Drive,  Falkirk.  01324 622196.

Bookings for cruises in the Falkirk area, on the Union and Forth & Clyde Canals, can be made by contacting: Mr. George Graham,  Phone: 01324 563628. 

All our volunteers are to be thanked for all the time and effort they freely give to assist in the running of the Branch and the Govan Seagull and in bringing so much pleasure to people who are greatly disadvantaged in life.

The Seagull Trust is always looking for volunteers, so if you live in the Falkirk or surrounding area and feel you can give some of your free time to help disabled people, please contact one of the Committee Members above for more information.

THE SPONSORS.

The running of the Branch and the Govan Seagull would not be possible without the kind assistance of the many people, companies and organisations who give of their time and support to help us provide this valuable service.  By means of this site we would like to extend our grateful thanks to them and many others and hope we can look forward to their continued support in the future.

British Waterways.

Carron Dry Dock Company.

Forth Ports, Grangemouth.

Duncan Adams Transport, Grangemouth.

All the small local businesses that have contributed in any way to the running of the Falkirk Branch.

The people of Falkirk and the surrounding areas.  Without their financial and practical support none of our operations would be possible.

BRANCH CHAIRMANS REPORT for 2005

Another good season has passed and again our cruising passenger numbers are up slightly on last year. Our thanks, as ever, are due to our amazing volunteer crew members for giving of their time and skills so willingly and cheerfully. The Falkirk Committee has had a busy time with 2 boats, the Govan Seagull and the Marion Seagull, to look after and a third boat to be named the Barr Seagull, being built as I write. The good news is that she is being built in Falkirk by local people and funded by The Barr Charitable Trust. She should be ready by the end of March and the start of the new cruising season. As you can imagine we are looking for more volunteer crew members

The holiday boat, Marion Seagull, is becoming more popular as families with a disabled member or a small group (six is the maximum) get to know of her. With increased publicity we expect her usage to continue to grow throughout the coming years; it has become apparent that the main users are coming from outside the local area and it takes longer for news of her availability to become more widely known.

Over 70 people attended our AGM and Social Evening held in March at Falkirk College and around 50 members and friends came to our Annual Barbecue in July at the Boathouse. In October, The Falkirk Tryst Orchestra held their Autumn Concert with the proceeds going to the Seagull Trust, which will be around £1000. We are most grateful to them and to Falkirk College.

This year sees two big changes in our committee as both Bill Thomson and Ken McKinnon are retiring after many years of committed work with Bookings and Maintenance and Care of the Govan Seagull respectively. We will miss them and are pleased they will continue crewing with us.

Once more we have to thank Barrie Scott & Co. who sponsor our postage and photocopying and Mr. Sardar, newsagent, who looks after our keys. We appreciate their continued support. I also wish to thank my committee for their help and hard work throughout the year. The Falkirk Branch is in good hands with their dedication and commitment along with that of our many volunteers.

CRUISING FIGURES for 2005

* The Falkirk Wheel trip numbers are shown in brackets.