Len was a vital member of the group who unfortunately passed away at the end of September 2008. Len is sorely missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Len Ilsley Hi, I’m Len I joined the group in 2002. I enjoy the camaraderie with the other members, and over the years have got involved in administration of the group and maintenance of the boats.  The icing on the cake though is moving the boats around the Midlands to different shows and having local people come on board to see where the original boaters lived and worked and to hear the history of the boats and canals. Over the years I have been on training courses for first aid, boat handling, blacksmithing and roses and castles [the traditional method of narrow boat decoration] painting.

Joan Blackley	Peter Bruton	John Robinson
Shortly after moving to Birmingham in 2002 I discovered Friends of the Working Boats in a leaflet advertising social groups and clubs around Solihull, I couldn't believe my luck. I've been a fan of narrowboats and the canal system since taking family holidays in the 1980's, the first of which was on the Welsh canal on a 70 foot boat – no half-measures for us. The times I enjoy most are being on the move, hand on the tiller and cup of tea in hand or leaning on a lock, chatting with friends and watching the boat coming round a corner in the canal.	I stumbled onto the Heritage Boats almost by accident following a visit to the British Waterways stand at the Inland Waterways Show at the NIA in 2001. On an impulse I filled in an enquiry card headed 'Become a BW Volunteer' and the rest is history as they say. Since then I have become increasingly involved progressing from cleaning the brass to being responsible for moving a working pair.  By far the most rewarding however is the new friendships I have made and the banter that goes with it together with the opportunity to enjoy our unique canal system.	I had little experience of steering working boats until I met Richard Lacy in 2005. Thanks to patient tuition from John Embling, Len Illsley and Glyn Phillips  I qualified as a steerer in 2006, and enjoyed a long trip back from Beale Park to Birmingham in Sagitta after the IWA Festival. There is no platform better than a canal boat for enjoying the peace and natural beauty of the English countryside. I also admire the superb technical ingenuity with which West Midlands folk manage to keep these old boats going when the elderly machinery decides to play up. I still have a lot to learn about historic boating but could not ask for better tutors than the group.

A few fine faces of the working boats:

Now you may have noticed that we don't currently appear as the most diverse of bunches. Please don't think that this is by design! If you differ from our current number this isn't going to make us value you less. We think that everyone deserves involvement in their heritage. We'll do our very best to work with you if you're physically impaired; please engage us in a conversation about your needs!