Russell – Newbery Rally

THEY'RE ON THE WAY: THE RUSSELL NEWBERY RALLY

In the middle of June Audlem will host the annual boat rally of the Russell Newbery Register, which has over 200 members. If you weren't paying attention previously, a Russell Newbery (RN) is a boat engine. Enough said: if you want more info look in the News Archive of 16th April.

The signs have now appeared along the towpath in the village warning boaters of mooring restrictions from 15-19 June to accommodate the RN flotilla. There are now 38 boats scheduled to attend from all over England. The ones on the way from the deep south (River Wey, Surrey) are already weeks into their trip.

So for the five days of the event Audlem will be home to around 80 "lodgers" plus several dogs & a few cats.

The attendees are not engine nerds who spend hours in the engine room. They're a sociable lot who enjoy inland waterways and meeting up annually, known informally as the "RN Family".

The event is based at the Village Hall for the whole period. Hopefully village businesses will see an increase in trade during the rally from these holiday-makers!

Throughout the weekend there will be over 20 workshops and talks ranging from arty-crafty to technical.

There are also some off-site activities. Thursday will feature a bus trip to Powis Castle and the Llanfair to Welshpool railway, and on Saturday lunchtime there'll be a trip to the Bhurtpore Inn at Aston (temple of worship for real ale lovers), via the scheduled 73/71 bus services.

The other out-of-Audlem activity is on the day before the boats arrive. Many will be moored at Market Drayton, so there's a hugely oversubscribed trip to Joules Brewery.

Does anyone detect a sub-theme to this rally???

Any queries, contact Dave & Nessa Martin (01270 812453, 07885 433977 / 07763 133552) or Rob Dickinson (01270 812810, 07831 449236).

Click on the photos to enlarge