Welcome to The Wheelyboat Trust 
E-Newsletter, September 2026

As the long summer moves to autumn, this newsletter reviews a busy Wheelyboat season and the new Wheelyboats supplied.

Over the summer we have seen new boat projects in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, Castle Semple in Scotland and at the angling site of Draycote. Deliveries planned for the autumn include in Oxfordshire and Northants, as well as for an exciting new Wheelyboat model - details below.

Demand from Wheelyboat users has been at the highest level since before Covid. We now have a waiting list of over twenty projects waiting for funding, with new enquiries adding to the list every month.

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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Busy Wheelyboat Summer

We are absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with the All Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers (AAFFF) on the provision of four new C16 Wheelyboats this year. The first two new boats have been delivered to Draycote Reservoir with fundraising continuing for the rest. The C16s go right to the heart of why the Wheelyboat Trust was founded and working jointly with the dedicated AAFFF team is already achieving great results for disabled anglers! Click here for news of more launches and events.

Bewl V20 Launched

A new V20 Wheelyboat has been launched by the Mariners of Bewl in Kent. After a successful fundraising campaign by the Mariners, the new Wheelyboat increases their impact even more. All people can access the water there, regardless of disability. The Wheelyboat was launched by the local MP, Mayor, Paralympian and founder member Jennie, who the boat is named after.

New Rye V17 Named

A new V17 Wheelyboat has been delivered to Rye Harbour Sailability 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.

Cobbinshaw C16

Thanks to generous donors, a C16 Wheelyboat has been delivered to Cobbinshaw in Scotland, increasing access for disabled anglers at the site. The spring has seen a steady stream of new Wheelyboats delivered and launched across the country.

 New V172 Wheelyboat Model Launched

We are working with Coulam Boats to develop a new more affordable V172 Wheelyboat model with tiller steer, designed for canal, river and lake use (CAT D) and available to order from summer 2026. With demand ever growing from disabled users, the project is designed to make Wheelyboats as affordable as possible to operators, whilst retaining the quality and safety of other Wheelyboat models. Where applicable, part-match funding can also be offered to assist in fundraising. 

New projects for 2027

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.

With high demand for new Wheelyboats, we are currently fundraising for projects in the midlands and home counties, including Derbyshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire with others in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as our ongoing partnership with the All Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers to provide new C16 Wheelyboats.

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. If you would like to make a donation towards the costs of providing new Wheelyboats please click here. Our current 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.

Kingspark School, Dundee

The Wheelyboat Trust and Kingspark School, a Special Educational Needs School in Dundee, are fundraising to provide a new wheelchair accessible Coulam Wheelyboat that will give all Kingspark’s pupils access to water-based activities and learning. There are currently no wheelchair accessible boats available for the school to use which drastically limits the outdoor activities undertaken and prevents an inclusive level of access for all of their students. To counter this the school is seeking to increase the opportunities to engage in outdoor learning through the provision of a new Wheelyboat.

Fife Sailability

The Wheelyboat Trust and Fife Sailability are working togeether to supply of a fully accessible V172 Wheelyboat that will enable Fife Sailability to expand their activities at Lochore Meadows sailing lake. Fife Sailability are long term Wheelyboat operator with years of success behind them.

The Wheelyboat will enable wheelchair users and people with any kind of mobility, sensory or intellectual impairment to participate in power and pleasure boating and it will help Fife Sailability meet the growing demand for their services. The new boat follows on from the success of their first V20 Wheelyboat launched in 2019.

Aztec Adventure Centre, Bromsgrove

The accessible Wheelyboat at Aztec Adventure Centre in Upton Warren, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire has reached the end of its working life and is no longer operational. As a result, wheelchair users and those with limited mobility from Chadsgrove Specialist School and other local disability groups have been unable to take part in their usual water-based activities this summer. Together with the users of the activity centre, The Wheelyboat Trust is raising funds for a new, fully accessible V172 Wheelyboat, ensuring that everyone can once again enjoy the benefits of being out on the water.

Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire

We are working with Oxford Sail Training Trust (OSTT) to provide a V17 Wheelyboat to enable all people to access waterborne activities. OSTT is a registered charity delivering expert watersports tuition at Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire. With over 10 years of experience, they offer inclusive, RYA-recognised training in sailing, windsurfing, wing, powerboating and more, helping thousands of people take to the water with confidence every year. At present the site is unable to offer fully accessible activities, meaning those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility are left unable to participate on equal terms as their able-bodied counterparts.

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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