A roar of approval has greeted the colourful dragon-spearheaded return of boat hire and cruises to Evesham.
The green and red dragon pedalos have become particularly popular with DIY boating locals and tourists who have been queuing up to chill out on the beautiful Avon.
Laid back cruises on board Easy Tiger have also been a big hit thanks to Avon Navigation Trust (ANT) and Wychavon District Council working in partnership to bring back pleasure boating to the town’s crowd-pulling parks.
ANT has engaged delivery partners Bonkers Activities and Severn Leisure to operate from the Abbey Park and Workman Gardens’ moorings.
“The Trust is very happy to support our river users and towns, which are promoting the River for the benefit of both communities and visitors,” says Clive, Chief Executive of ANT, which has launched the William James mobile River Avon Welcome Centre and has sited its youth and volunteering flagship Neptune in Evesham.
“We have had such a lot of positive feedback from people who are delighted to be able to enjoy being on the river as part of their day out.”
Evesham Mayor and father of three, Councillor Mark Goodge, says his family is amongst those loving being able to mess about on the river.
“As a riverside town, the Avon is a really important part of our leisure industry and economy and it’s great to see people enjoying the river again at weekends and in school holidays,” he says.
Severn Leisure’s 12-seater Easy Tiger offers 45-60 minute trips on a first come first served basis from Hampton Ferry and Abbey Park.
Bonkers’ Evesham Dragon Watersports team is hiring out pedalos, paddleboards and katakanus with more activities planned.
Wychavon District Council has also welcomed the success.
Cllr Mark Ward, Executive Board Member for Economic Growth and Tourism for Wychavon District Council said: “It’s great to see Evesham’s fabulous River Avon being used for leisure activities.
“This underpins the first strategic objective of the Evesham Town Centre Investment Prospectus which is to develop Evesham as a leisure destination, a great day out and making the most of its picturesque River Avon setting in the Vale of Evesham.”
Avon Navigation Trust is the statutory navigational authority for the river Avon. It is a charity run by a small team of professionals supported by volunteers and governed by a board of Trustees, all volunteers. For more information, please log onto www.avonnavigationtrust.org
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