Welcome to The Wheelyboat Trust 
E-Newsletter, Spring 2026

Spring has arrived with new Wheelyboat deliveries coming thick and fast, thanks to the generous support of our donors and supporters. This newsletter provides further details of the seven new Wheelyboats supplied, now with their operators ahead of the busy outdoor season.

There is much good news to report including a mention on BBC Countryfile and a new partnership with the All Abilities Fly Fishers (AAFFF) for new C16 Wheelyboats, please support their fundraising here. Thank you to the AAFFF for this fantastic support.

This year will see new boat projects confirmed for Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, Castle Semple in Scotland, Cobbinshaw also in Scotland, Ladybower in Derbyshire, and the angling sites of Draycote and Pitsford.

Wheelyboats give all people access to the water, regardless of disability. No-one gets left behind! Each boat supports over 250 people a year and will be out throughout the spring, summer and autumn months - they can go out on as many as 100 individual trips a year! A new Wheelyboat can cost up to £65,000 to supply, without our support the boats would largely be unaffordable for the charitable groups that we work with. Please keep supporting us if you can!

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New Woolverstone V20 launched

A new V20 Wheelyboat has been launched by broadcaster Paul Heiney at the Woolverstone Project, in Suffolk, as their second accessible boat. Congratulations to all involved and thank you to the funders for making the project possible. Woolverstone have been one of the most successful Wheelyboat operators and increasing their impact with a new boat is very welcome news.

Paul Elgood, Director of the Wheelyboat Trust attended the launch and commented: ‘It was truly a pleasure to celebrate the fantastic work of the Woolverstone Project and hear about their latest achievements. A second Wheelyboat is a significant milestone for the group, doubling their capacity and increasing their impact. More disabled people will access the water there as a result. They are already reporting a busy summer ahead and we wish them well for a great season. Well done to all involved and thank you to the volunteers who make it all possible.’

New Hollingworth V20 Wheelyboat

A new V20 Wheelyboat has been supplied to Hollingworth Lake near Rochdale, following a long and successful fundraising campaign between operators Your Trust and the Wheelyboat Trust. The Pennine Queen will be a popular addition at the lake, giving all access to activities there. Congratulations to all involved!

Second Warspite V17 in record time

In just five weeks from funding to completion, we’ve supplied a V17 Wheelyboat to Ist Cuddington (Warspite) Sea Scouts on the River Thames. Congratulations to all involved in achieving what must be one of our fastest projects to complete, thanks especially to a generous donor who helped to make it happen in record time!

Bewl Wheelyboat in action already

Hugh congratulations to the Mariners of Bewl in Kent for their newly supplied V20 Wheelyboat and successful fundraising campaign. The Wheelyboat will have years of activity at their site in Kent. Thank you to all the funders and supporters for a tremendous outcome. A launch will follow later in the spring. 

New Rye V17 Wheelyboat delivered

A new V17 Wheelyboat has been delivered to Rye Harbour Sailability in East Sussex following their successful fundraising campaign. The Wheelyboat is a ‘game changer’ at the location and will give all people the opportunity to access the harbour, regardless of disability. Well done to all at Rye for such a successful project and good luck for the busy spring and summer ahead. A launch will follow later in the spring.

Tweed Wheelyboat on Countryfile

Did you spot the Tweed Wheelyboat on BBC Countryfile recently? Click through on the image to watch it on the iPlayer and you'll see the boat in action, right at the start! It is a great watch!

New projects for 2026

We are currently fundraising for projects across the UK, we know that there are disabled people waiting to use the new boats that we supply and we work hard to meet this ever growing need.

This year will see new boat projects confirmed for Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, Castle Semple in Scotland, Cobbinshaw also in Scotland, Ladybower in Derbyshire, and the Anglia Water sites of Draycote and Pitsford.

The Draycote and Pitsford C16 boats are generously match funded by the All Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers, who are supporting new boats at reservoir locations. Thank you for this incredible support and making these projects happen to renew the angling fleet of C16s. You can support their fundraising here.

If you would like to make a donation towards the costs of providing new Wheelyboats please click here. Details of our current fundraising projects include:

Castle Semple

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Castle Semple Centre and the Wheelyboat Trust have joined forces to fundraise for a fully accessible Coulam V20 Wheelyboat to provide more disabled people with powerboating and powerboat training, pleasure boating and angling at the outdoor activity centre in Renfrewshire. The Wheelyboat will enable people with disabilities to access and enjoy water-based activities who previously couldn’t as demand is outstripping availability at this hugely popular site. 

Thank you!

We don't send our newsletters out too often, so we hope you enjoyed this one. This newsletter is a good opportunity to thank our many donors and supporters for their kindness in supporting the Trust. We can't do it without you and are very grateful for the support you give.

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