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EVENT: 2026 “end-of-season” for our Rowing Boats; Sunday 27th September

Sunday 27th September

To mark the end of the 2026 Rowing Boat Season, the Edinburgh Union Canal Society (EUCS) will be hosting an ‘end-of-season event’ on Sunday 27th September when our three traditional rowing-boats will be available for hire 🙂

On the end-of-season day, EUCS will also have “Information Tents/Stalls/Tea/Coffee/Cake & a Raffle (with great prizes!)“; all on the towpath, opposite the Ashley Terrace Boathouse; and additionally, we’ll also be hiring out our three rowing-boats! 

Some further details, including some requests for help, follow below:

  • We’ll be operational, opposite the Ashley Terrace Boathouse, between 12noon and 5pm … so please do come along on the day, if you can – and you’ll be able to find out more about our ongoing work and also sample some marvelous homemade cakes! Additionally, we’ll be holding a raffle with great prizes on offer, all helping to raise further funds for the Society!
  • Volunteers (and any home-baking) are also needed across the day – and any help between 10.30am through to 5.30pm on Sunday 27th September; even if for half-an-hour, would be great:

so; for Sunday 27th September 2026

  • 10.30am onwards; we’ll be on-site (opposite the Boathouse), setting up the tent/s – CAN YOU HELP, even if for half-an-hour? … we have new (easier to erect) gazebos, but any help would still be much appreciated!
  • 12noon; the stalls (within the tent/s) will be open – there will be information about EUCS; and a fundraising raffle will be taking place!
  • we’ll also be selling (very cheaply!) tea/coffee/cakes etc. – & COULD YOU HELP by providing any home-baking, even a small amount would assist (either bring it on the Sunday and/or pop it into 32 Cowan Road on the day before; Saturday 26th September)
  • and as mentioned, our three newly refurbished rowing-boats will also be ‘for hire’ at 12noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm; so we’ll need some helpers to Staff that process – all relevant instructions will be provided!
  • and at around 4.30pm on the Sunday we’ll be packing-up and taking down the tent/s etc.: again, any assistance with these tasks would be very welcome … it really is a great help just having one or two extra pairs of hands when getting the tents down 🙂

IMPORTANTLY – we’ll also be bagging-up all the homemade cakes from 6.30pm the night before, on Saturday 26th September 2026, at 32 Cowan Road … again, any help with this task would be much appreciated … please do just call round!

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‎EUCS ‘Canal Festival Day’

12noon onwards, Saturday 20th June; opposite the EUCS Boathouse

To mark the ‘Edinburgh Canal Festival’, EUCS will have stalls opposite the Ashley Terrace Boathouse …

… on the day, EUCS – and our friends from Merchiston Districts Community Council – will have “Information Tents/ Stalls/Tea/Coffee/Cake & a Competition (with prizes!)“; all on the towpath, opposite the Ashley Terrace Boathouse; and additionally, we’ll also be hiring out our three rowing-boats – which are proving more popular than ever, this year!

Able to volunteer to help make day a success? There are various ways to help:

  • A home-baker? Donate a cake. We’ll be ‘cutting and bagging’ cakes at 32 Cowan Road from 6.30pm on Friday 19th June
  • And, if you can donate an hour or two of your time on the Saturday (20th), that would also be great. We’ll be onsite from 10am setting-up
  • Or, during the 12noon-onwards period, you could help-out running the stalls
  • Then from 4.30pm we will start packing-up. An extra pair of hands for any of these tasks helps enormously!

DO PLEASE though just come along, if you can, and help ensure we have a successful 2026 ‘Canal Festival Day’.

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EUCS funding appeal – CAN YOU HELP?

Dear Supporter

EUCS funding appeal – CAN YOU HELP?

For the first time since we relaunched the Canal Society, back in 2021/22, I’m writing with a direct appeal for some funding assistance.

We’ve collectively made great progress since that re-launch a few years ago:

  • The Boathouse site’s future has been secured, and we now have a formal ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)’ with Scottish Canals covering ownership & usage of the wider site
  • We successfully resurrected boat-hires, as the community overwhelmingly wanted, and we’ve just started our 4th Season of hiring out our traditional rowing-boats … and they’re proving to be more popular than ever this year
  • Last November, we completed the “RIBA Stage 1” development process (RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects), which resulted in a fully-costed Feasibility Study being prepared for the future of the Boathouse site
  • And this March we held a first, successful community consultation event, on our emerging plans for the wider site

We’re thus now well prepared and ready to commence “RIBA Stage 2” of the development process, which could subsequently see us on the verge of being able to submit a formal planning-application early next year.

BUT – there’s always a but! – we now need to raise around £7,500 in match-funding, in order to allow us to unlock a few grant applications that will help ensure a smooth commencement of that “RIBA Stage 2” process… and ideally, we need to raise that amount as soon as feasible.

Can you help – any donation, no matter how small, would make a crucial difference in ensuring ongoing success for the Edinburgh Union Canal Society …

… there is a DONATE section on our website – here:

… or you can just go straight to our JUSTGIVING page – here:

… or you can make a Bank Transfer directly to our charity account – relevant details:

  • ACCOUNT NAME: Edinburgh Union Canal Society (SCIO)
  • ACCOUNT No.: 22952565
  • SORT CODE: 80-22-60

If you’re able, I do hope you might make a donation; but please don’t hesitate to get back to me if you would like any further information or clarification?

With many thanks for your ongoing interest in the Canal Society. 

Andrew

——————-

Andrew Burns

Chair – Edinburgh Union Canal Society

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Raffle Winners

Thanks to all those that came by the stalls today. Another very successful day with lovely chats in glorious sunshine and some very gusty winds.

The winning tickets for the raffle were:

TicketPrize
Yellow 151Family Paddle Session
Yellow 228Rowing Boat Hire
Yellow 148Food at Heavenly Scran @ Cloisters
Yellow 186Wine
Yellow 180Wine
Yellow 150Beer
Yellow 218Bag of wine and chocolates
Yellow 249Bag of wine and chocolates
Yellow 221Bag of wine and chocolates
Yellow 225Travel Pack
Yellow 157Toiletries
Yellow 137Whisky
Yellow 130Box of gins
Yellow 198Potted plant

We’ll be in touch with the winners over the next few days. Any questions, please contact info@eucs.org.uk.

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Rowing Boat Launch Day!

To mark the start of the 2026 Rowing Boat Season, the Edinburgh Union Canal Society (EUCS) will be hosting a ‘launch event’ on Sunday 12th April when our three traditional rowing-boats will be available for hire.

On the launch day, EUCS will also have “Information Tents/Stalls/Tea/Coffee/Cake & a Raffle (with great prizes!)“; all on the towpath, opposite the Ashley Terrace Boathouse; and additionally, we’ll also be hiring out our three rowing-boats!

Some further details, including some requests for help, follow below:

We’ll be open to the public between 12 noon and 5 pm, so please do come along on the day, if you can – you’ll be able to find out more about our ongoing work and also sample some marvellous homemade cakes! Additionally, we’ll be holding a raffle with great prizes on offer, all helping to raise further funds for the Society!

Able to volunteer to help make day a success? There are various ways to help:

A home-baker? Donate a cake. We’ll be cutting and bagging cakes at 32 Cowan Road from 6.30 pm on Saturday 11th.

If you can donate an hour or two of your time on the Sunday, that would be great. We are onsite from 10.30 am setting up. Or help out running the stalls. Then from 4.30 pm we will start packing up. A extra pair of hands for any of these helps enormously.