Little Venice KESCRG site services camp for IWA Canalway Cavalcade rally Diary of a KESCRG volunteer: "Big time in Little Venice" Tuesday 25th April 2000 -Tuesday 2nd May 2000 Tuesday: Eddie Jones had phoned me on Sunday to see when I could come down. So I arranged to set off straight after work so I could meet him the Tuesday night.... it was a desperate rush to get everything ready... It wasn’t until I was on the train that I realised I’d forgotten my shaving kit and my hairbrush. I then set off on the Tube to get to little Venice, near Paddington. It was 9:30 by the time I got to the pub where I was to meet Eddie, who told me that it was just he and I from KESCRG. The rest would be turning up in the next couple of days. After a couple of pints we decided to go to the meeting that we should have been attending! All the other organisers from the various groups were there; the meeting was to discuss the final details before Canalway Cavalcade began. Most of what was being discussed was beyond me, but luckily Eddie had already briefed me on our role. That night we were to sleep on a narrow boat on the Paddington arm from Little Venice pool. The boat was called Michael and we were supposed to be sharing it with some teenagers from a youth group who were to help us the next day. However an argument had broken out and the youth leader had decided to punish the whole group by sending them all home.
Wednesday: We got up at about 7:00 am. Eddie and I went over the days plans once again. I was to set off on the Tube and catch a train from Victoria to Stoke Newington, to pick up the marquees, tables and chairs and the crash barriers that were to be set up at Little Venice. Two other KESCRG members Nick and Sally would be there to help. On the way I managed to pop into a shop and buy razors. It started to rain. We were to load up a box truck with the gear and then take it down to the River Lee and unload it. From there we would load it onto a working narrow boat (which Eddie had gone to collect) and then take it by canal to Little Venice. We went via the Hackney Cut and joined the Grand Union (Regents) Canal which took us past the back of King’s Cross, Camden Town and Regents Park. It was very interesting to see and meet different people on the canal and also to see parts of London in a way not normally experienced by most people. The boat, called 'Angel', was a working narrow boat owned by Paul and Lynn who were to be mooring at Little Venice for the duration. When we reached Little Venice Maureen and Brian had arrived. Maureen was to keep us fed and watered for the duration of the Cavalcade. This first day had been absolutely exhausting, and tomorrow we were to unload the boat and set up the marquees. Luckily there would be more people turning up to help. The evening was spent, as most evenings would be, drinking beer. This was the first chance I had to chat with Ken Parish, the chairman of KESCRG. He had just bought a new narrow boat and was to show it off at the cavalcade. It was his birthday soon so he was going to throw a party at the end of the cavalcade.
Thursday: It was an early start again. Paul, Lynn, Brian, Eddie and myself started to unload and sort out the equipment from 'Angel'. We had three marquees, pedestrian safety barriers, trellis tables for the traders' stalls, some market stalls, and lots of chairs. Most of this was put in a corral to keep it away from the public, as today was going to be spent putting up the marquees. Dorothy and Libby and a few early traders helped us with setting up the frame for the two bigger marquees. Alan joined us at midday just in time to help with hammering the spikes into the ground. Alan’s job for the weekend was as Communications, monitoring the walkie-talkie radios that were to be used by the various organLucky me, a cabin all of my own! isers and volunteers.
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