Recent news

More support from Waitrose

After the support in May from various Waitrose stores in our area, now the Islington Branch of Waitrose in Liverpool Road, Angel has chosen the Angel Boat as one of the 3 charities for June.  Please vote with your green tokens for our share of the £1000 this month.

Archive photographs

Old photographs of the canal at and around City Road lock have been found and placed on our new archive photo page, together with some recently discovered photographs of the original Angel of Islington just after her arrival in Islington from the boat builder with founder Crystal Hale at the helm and an artist at work on the boat's decoration!  Click here to see them.

Waitrose supports Angel

VOTE FOR ANGEL at your local Waitrose store in Islington!  The Angel Boat has been chosen as one of the 3 charities to share in a donation of £1000 from Waitrose in May 2010.  So when you visit Waitrose, be sure to put your green token in the right box!

May 2010  

Angel returns from wet dock

Angel has had her winter maintenance.  Back on her moorings at City Road Lock Angel looks splendid after a repaint.  At long last the web address features on the side of the boat. 

Thanks to our staff and all the volunteers for a gruelling week's work at Cowley wet dock.

See pictures of work on the dock in the picture gallery.

Final Mayor's Charity donation

A final cheque for the money raised during our year as Mayor of Islington's Charity has been received.  The cheque brings the total sum raised to over £18,000!  We are very greatful to Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk and all of the Islington Kids Afloat charity committee and the team in the Mayor's office for the fantastic fundraising effort.  We have already purchased a video camera and laptop from the money raised so that users can learn film-making skills and make a video record of their trips to take home with them.  Our 'second boat' fund is also looking a good deal healthier!

February 2010

Santa's visit!  

Santa set up his grotto on Angel II for Chrismas 2009 - and for the opening of the new public open space on City Road Basin.  See pics in the gallery!

December 2009

Santa's Grotto on the Regent's Canal

Santa and his elf's will be on Angel II on 20th December 2010!  Come and see them at the City Road Basin Plaza Opening.

For more information see the Islington Council website here.

A successful year of fundraising

At the AGM of Angel Community Canal Boat Trust on 24th June 2009 Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk presented the charity with a cheque for just under £17,000 as its share of the very successful year of fundraising as Mayor's Charity 2008/09.  Councillor Kasprzyk so enjoyed his year fundraising with Islington Kids Afloat that he has offered to continue his association with the charity, and would like to become a part time skipper!

For more information about Islington Kids Afloat and the year as Mayoral Charity, click here.

June 2009

Camden People's Theatre  

 Angel II is the venue for an arts project on the canal in Camden and Islington.

Join little wonder on a thrilling journey through one of London’s most historical and picturesque backwaters, the Regent’s Canal. Discover the lock-keeper’s love letters, hidden stories of the towpath and what lies beneath this vibrant, rapidly evolving watery haven. A unique opportunity to capture the subterranean world of King’s Cross before the landscape is changed forever.

Working in their typical exciting, fun-loving and multi-sensory manner, little wonder embark on an outdoor promenade performance, walk and canal boat ride at the height of summer. With specially commissioned live music, Vagabonds’ Voyage promises to be one of the theatrical treats of the year.

For more information click here

June 2009

Mayor announces that "Islington Kids Afloat" raised about £35,000 during his mayoral year!

As Mayor Stefan Kasprzyk's year comes to an end, the money raised for Islington Kids Afloat - Angel Boat and Islington Boat Club - reaches over £35,000!

May 2009  

Marathon man raises small fortune for "Islington Kids Afloat"

John Thorne ran the London Marathon - in 3 hours, 58 minutes and 48 seconds - for the benefit of the Mayor's Charity Islington Kids Afloat and raised £1,500 by his efforts! 

April 2009

An opportunity to get to know Clerkenwell better, and to support the Angel Boat!

25th April 2009 - a date for your diary.  Barry Mellor (Blue Badge London and Clerkenwell guide) will be leading a guided tour of Clerkenwell, with free lunch, in aid of Islington Kids Afloat.  More information here.

March 2009  

Angel comes off dock

On 22nd March Angel came off dry dock in Uxbridge after a hard week of maintenance work carried out by our staff and volunteers.  Much repainting - including all the invisible but important bits below the water line - and other running repairs puts Angel back in her usual good condition in readiness for the Easter holiday bookings.

 March 2009

Mayor of Islington's Gala Dinner

On 21st March 2009 at the Urdang (formerly Finsbury Town Hall) the Mayor of Islington, Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk, held his Gala Dinner in aid of Islington Kids Afloat, the Angel Boat and Islington Boat Club.  Over 200 guests enjoyed an evening with a Polish flavour, with artistes flown in from Poland for the occasion.  All profits and the proceeds from a raffle and charity auction went to Islington Kids Afloat.

March 2009

An evening with Ken Livingstone - March 17th

Ken Livingstone, fomer Mayor of London, and Nick Robinson, BBC's Political Editor, are supporting the Angel Boat and Islington Boat Club!  Ken will give a talk and then be subjected to questions from Nick and the audience.  All poceeds will go to the Mayor of Islington's Charity, Islington Kids Afloat (the Angel Boat and Islington Boat Club).

For more information, click here.

January 2009

New Year's Day Parade prize winner

The Islington Kids Afloat float at the London New Year's Day Parade was awarded a £1,500 prize by the parade organisers!  For pictures of the float click here

January 2009

New Year's Day Parade

Islington Kids Afloat (Angel Boat and Islington Boat Club) appeared in London's New Year's Day Parade.  The float, manned by the Mayor and Mayoress of Islington, young users and volunteers, consisted of a canal boat and kayaks on wheels, moving in a sea of smoke and bubbles!  For more information about the Parade and our entry click here.

Many thanks to our sponsors Kiers and Homes for Islington.

January 2009

Barn Dance - in aid of Islington Kids Afloat

Friday 24th October 2008  

Read more

Download more

City Road Basin Waterfront and Plaza

Angel II carried the VIPs to the ceremony to mark the forthcoming opening of the Waterfront and Plaza at City Road Basin on 23rd September 2008.   Enjoying the short trip were a number of guests including the Mayor of Islington, the Leader of Islington Council, Islington's Chief Executive and representatives of the developers and architects Pembroke Real Estate, Groveworld, Miller Developments and Bennetts Associates.  A memorial plaque was unveiled by the Mayor.

When completed the Plaza will provide a completely new view of City Road Basin open to members of the public, and it forms an important part of the large-scale development area of this waterside area.

September 2008

Angel Canal Festival

Sunday 7th September 2008

The big annual event on the Regent's Canal in Islington!  This is not only an opportunity to see 'Angel of Islington II' and to meet the crew, but also there will be a variety of stalls, fun-fair, music, refreshments and boat trips. In the City Road Canal Basin there is a regatta and a bell-boat race. Boat trips will be available in both directions, going east, and west through the Islington Tunnel to London Canal Museum where passengers can stop off to visit. On the water there will be displays by Islington Boat Club and a Bell Boat race between local community groups.

For more information visit www.angelcanalfestival.org.uk

Shop online and make a donation to the Angel Boat!

You can donate money just by shopping online. Without costing you anything extra, SurfGiver has developed a new website which can direct a percentage of each sale to the Angel Boat (ACCT).

With 100's of top online shops, including Amazon.co.uk, eBay.co.uk, John Lewis, Apple Store, ASDA and many many more, SurfGiver can turn just about all your online shopping into a way of generating money to support us.  Click here to try it out!

June 2008  

The Angel Boat is the Mayor of Islington's Charity 2008/9!

On 13th May 2008 Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk was elected Mayor of Islington and chose The Angel Boat (ACCT) and Islington Boat Club, working togther under the name Islington Kids Afloat, as his Charity for his Mayoral Year. 

Mayor Stefan Kasprzyk said:

"These charities provide positive activities for young people from right across the borough, including people from up in Archway where I live. They give something fun for young people to do on the water - but more importantly than this, they impart important lessons about responsibility and teamwork. These young people gain confidence and learn about themselves, other people, and their environment, and learn what it means to be part of a team. This council has spent the last year looking closely at provision for young people and at how to keep them safe. These charities are giving training opportunities and promoting exactly the right lessons for young people."

For more information click here.

Cripplegate Foundation provides further support for ACCT

The Cripplegate Foundation has agreed to provide £30,000 of funding over 3 years to support the work of Angel Community Canal Boat Trust.  The Cripplegate Foundation, which contributed towards the capital cost of our current boat, 'Angel II of Islington', which was commissioned in 2000, is providing this funding to support the employment of our development officer and to enable us to widen access to 'Angel' from our local community.

April 2008  

Londonations grant goes to ACCT

ACCT was awarded a grant of £2,000 from the Londonations awards from the Capital Community Foundation.  The funding was made available to fund BMER groups for trips on 'Angel II of Islington'.  We plan to reach groups of users who have never been near the canal or on a boat trip so that they can enjoy a day of exploration and learning, as well as meeting and working the boat with members of their own community.

November 2007

School's project rolled out

The new School's project based on 'Angel II of Isllington' has been enjoyed by students from Drayton Park School.  In partnership with Bristish Waterways and their education officer students spent several days on a project using the facilities of the London Canal Museum, trips on 'Angel' and exploring the tow path of the Regent's Canal.

The feedback from staff and students alike showed what a great day it was - loads of fun looking at what grows and lives on the canal, and exploring the types of buildings along the canal as well as some of its history.

Click here for more information about the School's project

November 2007

ACCT appoints full time Development Officer

ACCT has doubled the size of its employed staff with the employment of Rose Parnis as development officer.  Rose will help develop projects based around 'Angel II of Islington', help us in fundraising to support our operations, get out in to the community to find new users who have never had the benefit of the experience of a canal cruise and act as rellief skipper in support of our full time skipper Paul Wallace.  Rose brings in particular her experience as a youth worker to this post.

The funding of the post was made possible in part by a grant from the Local Network for Children and Young People to fund trips for members of our local Black and Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BMER) community.

May 2007

Last updated: 10 June 2010