Chichester Canal can be explored in many different ways, and now can be enjoyed on a podcast. The Chichester Ship Canal Trust, the volunteer-led, self-funded charity behind the canal, has dipped a toe into the world of podcasts, and recorded the first episode of an intended series. A podcast is best described as a series of audio files, which the listener can listen to at a time of their choosing, and dip in and out of different episodes.
The voices you’ll hear on the first episode are Catherine Cannon, Trustee, and Adam Porter, BBC Radio 2 News reader, Trust patron and canalcaholic. The initial recording is an introduction to the canal, highlighting some of the ways people can enjoy the canal and the 200th anniversary celebrations.
Catherine said, ‘We’re always looking for different ways to tell our stories and enable our community to learn about the canal, and a podcast was suggested. The feedback on the first episode has been really positive and we’re already thinking about different themes and topics to focus on in future episodes.’
Adam said, ‘There’s so much material to use at the canal, with tales of volunteering, the wildlife you might see, the experience on a boat trip, the 200 year history, and of course the continued need for funding to ensure the canal remains open, safe and accessible for all users’.
You’ll also hear voices of canal users, who were happy to contribute, including Dave Standley, a keen photographer who has previously won the Trust’s popular photography competition.
The second podcast will focus on the trip boats, a popular way to enjoy the waterway, and hear from some of the volunteers who crew the boats.
Building on the success of the podcast, the canal will be featured in the March edition of the Chichester Area Talking News Insight Magazine programme. The Talking News is a ‘talking newspaper’, recorded fortnightly and distributed to more than 300 blind, partially sighted and other disabled people in the wider Chichester area. Catherine and Adam met with Geoffrey, from the Talking News, to record an interview on Kingfisher, one of the trip boats cruising along the waterway to Hunston. Coincidentally it was recorded on Valentine’s Day, a perfect day to show people how well-loved the canal is
Geoffrey said, ‘I really enjoyed my trip down the canal. It’s a wonderful way to be able to bring it to life for our Talking News listeners in this anniversary year’.
The Chichester Canalcast podcast can be found on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts.
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