| The History of The
Bruce Trust |
The Bruce Trust was created in 1988 by Louise and David
Bruce, following the sale of Bruce's Brewery and the
Firkin Pubs in London. Being keen to plough back some of
the proceeds into a project which would benefit the
community, they became intrigued with the possibility of
offering to disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people
the opportunity to enjoy self-steer, self-catering
holidays, cruising on the Kennet & Avon Canal.
Having carried out considerable research into the
existing facilities for people with special needs on
Britain's other inland waterways, the Bruces invested
over £80,000 into building The Rebecca. This specially-
designed, purpose-built, wide-beam canal boat offered
the highest quality accommodation and the ultimate
flexibility for up to twelve people.
Due to the extraordinary market demand for The Rebecca
during her first two seasons, an appeal was launched in
January 1991 to fund the development of a second boat. Over
500 donations between £2 and £10,000 were received,
enabling The Hannah to be built, also sleeping up to
twelve people.
In September 1993, the Trust purchased an existing
wide-beam boat, purpose-built for disabled people, The
Rachel. At the end of the 2008 season, the Trust
realised it needed to replace The Rachel as she had
reached the end of her serviceable life. She was
replaced in August 2009 by a new, specially-designed,
purpose-built 6- berth boat (also called The Rachel)
which is ideally suited for a family group with a
disabled member or a small group from a care in the
community residential organisation. The £150,000 capital
cost was fundraised between January 2008 and April 2009
- no mean achievement during the deepest recession since
the 1930's.
The fourth boat, The Diana, joined the fleet in 1998.
This too is a purpose-built, wide-beam boat which
accommodates up to 10 people and provides the latest
facilities for helping people with special needs.
IIn
2011, it was decided that The Rebecca, the oldest boat
and first of all the designs, would benefit from some
upgrades and improvements. Fundraising for this project
commenced and £120,000 was raised for a full
refurbishment and a new, more accessible layout. The
work was completed in 2013 and The Rebecca was
relaunched as a 10-berth boat including a scissor-action
hospital bed, adjacent to a 6’ x 3’ panoramic window.
All the boats were designed to give wheelchair users the
opportunity to steer by using the tiller. However, both
Hannah and Rachel were fitted with a remote steering
device that enables someone with less upper body
mobility to steer from their wheelchair, using a
joystick.
The boats operate from
Great Bedwyn Wharf, near Marlborough, on the Kennet and
Avon Canal, which flows through Berkshire and Wiltshire,
from the River Thames at Reading to the River Avon at
Bath. Two have a changeover day on Fridays and two have
a changeover day on Saturdays. They are ideally situated
to cruise eastward towards Newbury and Reading or
westward to Devizes and down the Caen Hill Flight and on
to Bath.
Descriptions of Rebecca, Hannah, Diana & Rachel can be
found here:
https://bruceboats.katrust.org.uk/holiday-hire/oats/
If you would like to discuss which boat would be most
appropriate for your
group, please contact
bookings@katrust.org.uk or on 01380
721279
Following the gifting of its four boats to the Kennet &
Avon Canal Trust in 2016, The Bruce Trust retains its
current board of Trustees and Rebecca Bruce remains as
Director but its focus for the future will be more on
fundraising and grant-giving for the specific benefit of
people with special needs to enjoy the four Bruce Boats
now operated by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust.
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