50 Years Serving Canal & Community! 1975-2025
LUCS is a charity registered in Scotland SC011100.
Support the next 50 years of success!
Why support our charity? The short answer: our members work very hard to do everything the charity needs done, but we cannot finance everything by ourselves. (The longer answer is below.) We would be grateful for your donation, no matter how modest you may think it is.
Our Paypal button above is secure and simple to use. You do not need a special account to use it. If you would like to Gift Aid your donation please copy the following text and insert it into the Paypal ‘write a note’ box which will appear when you fill out your details:
‘I want to Gift Aid my donation to LUCS. I am a UK taxpayer and understand my responsibility to pay any difference between the tax I have paid and the Gift Aid reclaimed.’
(What is Gift Aid? You can boost your donation, at no extra cost to you, by 25p for every £1 you donate. Gift Aid is reclaimed by LUCS from the tax you pay for the current tax year. You must be a UK taxpayer and understand that if you pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations to charities it is your responsibility to pay any difference.)
Why support us? The longer answer: At the basin, our ‘crew’ of some 50 determined members, of all ages, annually provide over 7000 hours of voluntary work. We maintain 4 passenger boats, and crew them for the benefit of the thousands who visit us. We also serve the teas, staff the museum, run free public events, and help clear the canal for wildlife. The work keeps us socially, physically and mentally active, and in touch with members scattered throughout the world.
The Victoria Appeal
It is often said that a boat is a hole in the water for putting money into! At LUCS, we are canny, and don’t think it needs to be quite as bad as all that. We make do and mend; yet sometimes a boat just cries out for more! Our flagship, Victoria, is a case in point.
For 47 years she has done very active service for us and was recently classified as a Historic Vessel (the only one we know of on Scotland’s lowland canals). Given her age, she needs a major refurbishment, which involves the replacement of her diesel engine.
Electric propulsion of boats has improved a great deal of late, so now is the time to fit her with a modern electric engine. We think this will be the most forward-thinking way we can celebrate our 50th anniversary. It will support our efforts to be carbon neutral.
Replacing an old diesel with a silent electric engine will add to the priceless sense of peace and relaxation our visitors experience when they cruise with us. It will make on-board commentaries easier to hear, and it will allow visitors to get even closer to canal wildlife without disturbing it.
Our volunteers have the skills to make this happen. Only the most technical safety matters will require outside contractors; that’s where most of the expense comes from. So, after careful preparation and budgeting, the work has begun, and we aim to complete the project during our anniversary season. Your support will make that aim all the more achievable.
Keeping Victoria active in the years to come is a worthwhile project – we hope you agree.
Victoria being carefully lifted over our tearoom into the yard, November 2024.