Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust appeals for volunteers to join Community boat on Grand Union Canal

Electra, the all-electric community canal boat, run by volunteers from the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, is looking for more volunteers.

The service operates thanks to 49 volunteers but demand for cruises has doubled since the boat was launched in 2021.

Volunteer chair, Denise Taylor, said: “Electra volunteers are a friendly bunch who work as one big team, creating and delivering a range of enjoyable cruises on the Grand Union Canal. Some people crew the boat, others work behind the scenes to get everything ready, and some people do a bit of both.”

“We are recruiting now for cabin hosts, to welcome and chat with guests and serve a range of food and drinks from the on-board galley bar,” added Sue Morrison, lead cabin host. Informal interviews will be held in April and training in May/June, ready for crewing from July.

There are also shore-based vacancies in customer liaison, social media, marketing, outreach, fundraising and project ,management – great opportunities to learn new skills in a friendly, supportive team.

Lindsey Patraiko, volunteer social media manager, added: “I volunteered because it was unique and exciting, and I wanted to enhance and develop my social media skills and use my creativity. If you haven’t got a lot of time, there are also a number of short tasks that can be quickly completed.”

Volunteer coordinator, Gill Kirkup, who also volunteers as a cabin host, said: “I’m the first port of call for anyone interested in volunteering for Electra and really enjoy meeting new people and finding out about their interests.”

Milton Keynes claims to have a higher number of volunteers per head of population than any other UK city, with 84,500 citizens regularly volunteering across the city.

Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to visit Electra’s website here or email the team on [email protected] for further details.

> The Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust was established in 1995 to promote a new 16-mile Waterway Park, incorporating a new broad canal linking the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes with the River Great Ouse in Bedford.