Published: 30 June 2026
In 2025 the Russell Newbery Register (RNR) decided to hold its annual Rally on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Stalybridge, after very positive discussions with town and canal organisations which were delighted by the prospect of the town centre being full of boats. Unfortunately the 2025 rally had to be postponed, following breaches of all the main access routes to Stalybridge early in the year: the Bridgewater Canal and Huddersfield Narrow Canal in January 2025 and the Macclesfield Canal in April 2025.
The postponement of the Rally until 2026 brought significant benefits, enabling the Rally to form part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the reopening of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal after its restoration, and also to act as a staging post on the Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) 2026 campaign cruise to Ellesmere Port and Liverpool. FBW boats would join boats with Russell Newbery and National vintage diesel engines participating in the RNR Rally, making the largest gathering of boats in the town since the canal was reopened, in a celebration of the industrial and canal heritage of the area where both Russell Newbery and National originated.
The intention was for the boats to be moored in the centre of Stalybridge between Wednesday 24 and Sunday 28 June. With the Bridgewater Canal still closed after the 2025 breach, and various unplanned closures of the Huddersfield Narrow and Rochdale Canals, the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals provided the only route for the boats to reach Stalybridge from the Midland canal network. Their progress was delayed, firstly by a month-long closure of Bosley Locks on the Macclesfield Canal for repairs, and then by a broken balance beam on Lock 10 of the Marple flight on the Peak Forest Canal. The latter closed the flight from 9 June with no stated date for reopening.
A decision had to be made by Monday 22 June as to whether it would be feasible for the boats to reach Stalybridge as planned. Although the Canal & River Trust (CRT) made a late offer of an assisted passage, RNR did not consider it sensible to try to get 16 boats through the flight of 16 locks and then up to Stalybridge in a single day when the temperatures were forecast to be around 30°C, and the Rally was cancelled. The cancellation resulted in substantial additional costs for both RNR and individual members and loss of income for local businesses, in addition to the disappointment of townspeople and boaters and the wasted efforts of the organisers.
The Rally organiser Andrew Laycock said: “We have been forced to cancel the Russell Newbery Register Annual Member’s Boat Rally on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Stalybridge scheduled for 24 to 28 June. This is because almost all the boats due to attend are not able to reach the western end of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal because of closures of the eastern end of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, the Rochdale Canal and most significantly the Marple Locks on the Lower Peak Forest Canal.
The annual Rally is usually one of the highlights of the year for RNR members. However the directors of the Register are seriously considering whether or not to organise any further boat rallies, as there now appears to be a high probability of significant disruption to the journeys to and from any site for our attendees.”
Meanwhile, boats on the main 2026 FBW campaign cruise were making progress on their journey. FBW had decided to focus on the north west because of the number and impact of closures, but various waterway closures around the country had meant that finalising the route had taken longer than planned. The flotilla was to gather at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port before crossing the tidal Mersey to Liverpool Docks. However, on 24 June CRT announced that the route was closed for an indefinite period, owing to a fault with the hydraulic motor that operates Brunswick Lock. As a result it is now impossible for the boats to reach Liverpool.
Hazel Owen, Chair of Fund Britain’s Waterways, said: “No boats in Stalybridge, no boats in Liverpool. FBW’s planned activities continue to be disrupted by canal closures, which are fragmenting the network and impacting individual waterway users, waterway organisations and local businesses. FBW campaigners are not beaten and will press on wherever they can. Recent events just reinforce FBW’s message of the consequences of inadequate funding for our waterways, and show why the campaign is so vital.”
