On Sunday 14th May we held our Boaters’ Spring Fayre ‘Ain’t No Party Like an S bend Party’ in glorious sunshine on the River Lea towpath of North Millfields Recreation Ground. The location is one of the key sites of the ‘Water Safety Zones’ that the Canal and River Trust (CRT) is trying to erase boaters.

The event was one of the largest events we have organised, with close to a thousand boaters, locals and allies of the itinerant boater community gathered in a powerful show of support and solidarity against CRT’s ongoing attacks on the itinerant boater community. We saw speeches from boater activists about the ongoing campaigns to defend the rights of itinerant boaters, alongside speeches in solidarity from Millfields Waste Depot Hackney Unite the Union rep, London Renters Union, Travellers Pride and Acorn, and a whole host of performances from both boater and land-based musicians. 

Initially CRT had plans to get rid of 550 mooring spaces along the River Lea where people can moor for up to 14 days at a time. Following the magnificent resolve and resistance of the boating community through a series of campaigns, events and challenges to the policy, CRT relented on the full threatened 550 mooring spaces, but continue to try and eliminate 295 mooring spaces, including the entirety of the Clapton ‘S Bend’. Yet despite the CRT’s efforts, including hundreds of thousands of pounds wasted on outsourced enforcement contracts to harass and intimidate boaters, Sunday saw the towpath lined with a brilliant array of boats, stalls and stages where the boater community celebrated their life on the water with music, food, speeches and information on the campaign provided by a whole team of NBTA activists. We raised much needed funds and awareness  to continue our campaign with generous donations from the public, and a flood of sign-ups to NBTA communications.

Marcus Trower, NBTA London branch secretary and one of the event’s organisers said:

 “This event perfectly encapsulated why itinerant boaters will never back down in the face of CRT’s attempts to bully us off the waterways. Hundreds of people have come out together today because of the joy, community and life that boaters bring to the water. We’ve had huge numbers of locals expressing horror at the idea that the CRT wants to erase us from these areas, with many non-boaters signing up to get involved in ongoing campaigns. We’ve had boaters from all across the UK showing up to share memories and experiences of time spent on the River Lea, building our community even further. We’ve had dedicated NBTA activists contributing their time, effort, skills and creativity to making the day a resounding success, and laying the groundwork for future events. All of this goes to show that the boater community and our allies will stay strong against the CRTs boat cull – not just for our own sakes, but for the sake of the local communities who stand in solidarity with us to celebrate and defend life on the water.”

Following on from this event, and the joyful reception we got from local residents, we encourage you to continue to support our campaign in disobeying the ‘no mooring’ zone by continuing to moor in these areas for up to 14 days at a time.  NBTA London Caseworkers are here to support you if needed.