Early Summer News

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Early Summer News

Summer is nearly here, in fact as you will know the summer weather has been with us for some time, despite the rain on the musuem window as I type this!

Don't miss our festival! click here for more information

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There are lots of wonderful things happening during the year please go to  next blog for the full programme.


This week at the FIPT AGM the members voted to accept our new constitution which can be viewed at http://www.fipt.org.uk/pdf/FIPT%20Constitution%202014.pdf. The new constitution allows us to widen the scope of our activities and do more site interpretation. However it also allows us not to pursue our original aim of full restoration of the Inclined Plane Boat lift. There are many reasons for this but the top 2 are: we don't have the £11m or so to pay for the work and Heritage lottery are not willing to support the project at this time. This is partly due to the fact that if the lift existed the cables would need replacing every 3 possibly only 2 years at a cost of £90,000 on top of all other maintenance and running costs. This money would be impossible to find. Should things change, such as a footballer offering to pay then we will look at restoration again.

The good news

is that the site has been awarded a grant of a total of £190,000 by Arts council UK for a new project to improve interpretation. This money is being managed by Leicestershire Promotions. The biggest part of this will be a very high tech animated film of the lift in operation. You will also be able to access more information on wifi out on site. This would be a compare and contrast idea, what did the lock or lift look like 100 years ago. This is a wonderful opportunity and in a years time the site and the museum will look different. We hope you will visit this year to see what it is like now.

Wildlife 

on site has been exceptional this year. This family of grey wagtails was nesting in a lock wall and providing the visitors stood well back you could see the chicks being fed. The swan is on its nest, a nest that has been in use for at least 30 years. The waterlilies are blooming and the flag iris is out. The trees are full of twittering birds, it is a real treat especially early in the morning.

At Easter we had the Historic Narrowboat Owners Association staying at Foxton it was fantastic to see and hear these wonderful old boats. 

Come and say hello next time you visit, Mike Beech Museum keeper.

Whats on at Foxton

Whats on at Foxton

Folk in the Museum

 first Sunday of every month  from 7.30pm – , Free event – take part or just enjoy.

FESTIVAL OF

LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND ARCHAEOLOGY

Part of THE CBA FESTIVAL OF BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY

Saturday 12^th – Sunday 27^th July 2014

for more information follow this link

The Festival of British Archaeology is one of the biggest archaeological events in the world – and Leicestershire and Rutland have more events than any other area of Britain!

Discover the rich heritage of Leicestershire and Rutland during this fortnight with a fascinating range of events, talks and guided tours from some of the county's archaeological experts.

HIDDEN FOXTON

Tuesday 15^th July: 2pm – 4pm, Saturday 19^th  July: 2pm – 4pm  

Foxton Canal Museum, Middle Lock, Gumley Road, Foxton, LE1 7RA.

Enjoy a site and museum tour with our expert Mike Beech to celebrate the bicentenary of the canal. Discussing what is hidden under the ground and how it has been investigated to bring the site alive.

Suitable for people of all ages, these will be small parties and all questions can be answered. Not suitable for those with mobility problems. 

FREE  0116 279 2657

lots more events under this banner 

GU Grand Opening

August 9^th – 10^th   

GU Grand Opening – a parade of boats along the canal with events along the way. Particularly at Crick where the festivities will start on the 8^th. Details to follow.  

Other events are in the planning stage for the rest of the year.