Angel Canal Festival Islington, London N1 NEXT FESTIVAL Sunday 7th September 2008 11.00 a.m. to 5 pm, adjoining City Road Lock, Islington Free Admission.
					This annual festival is based around City Road Lock and Basin and along the tow path to Packington Park. There will be a variety of stalls, fun-fair, music, refreshments, boat trips and viewing of Community Boats. In the 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.
On the towpath there will be around 70 stalls selling everything from canalware and crafts, books, to refreshments. These give many local and national charities the chance to raise funds.There will be all sorts of music, walks and talks, and the local public houses will be open! Everyone will enjoy attractions such as hawks and owls, bee keepers, and a variety of music. There will also of course be a range of different food stalls.
					Entertainment will include a range of musical performances both beside the lock and around the festival site. There will be a fun-fair, and various other entertainment! On top of this of course there will be a wide range of boats attending, and a regatta in the basin, with bell-boat racing.
As the event is FREE we rely on funding and gifts in kind from many sources including the Community Chest, City Road Basin Limited, The Eric Evans Memorial Trust, The Morris Charitable Trust, the GLA/London Canals Committee, Gratte Brothers Ltd, LBI Regeneration, and Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects.We also have excellent support from BW London, SPCC, the Inland Waterways Association and the London Canal Museum and Islington Council.The Festival is run by un-paid volunteers who put in approximately 1600 hrs a year.   Our aim is to produce an enjoyable day-long Festival celebrating the Regents Canal around the City Road Lock and Basin area promoting the canal as an historic, local, community, environmental and leisure asset for all to enjoy.     Latest News from the ACF Team THE MANOR MAJORETTES   Formed in 1999 in the Lewisham area, The Manor Majorettes are coming to twirl their batons at this year's Angel Canal Festival. They will be performing in front of the Prince of Wales PH at the junction of Danbury St and Vincent Terrace. See the FREE printed programme for performance www.manormajorettes.com CLIMBING TOWER   This will be located outside the Packington Community Centre at the Packington end of the Festival Site. With the City Rd Lock behind you, walk east, under Wharf Rd Bridge, past The Narrow Boat PH for 100 yds, turn left up the slope before you reach Shepherdess Bridge. Keep a look out for direction signs and also see the FREE printed programme. Climbs will be FREE thanks to Hyde Housing and Rydon Construction who, in the weeks following the Festival, will be starting work on rebuilding the Packington Estate.  www.the-warehouse.co.uk 'BAND OF ANGELS'    The ACF team would like to thank all the volunteers from all supporting organisations, as well as the essential band of angels, that made the 2006 event again so sucessful-without them there would be no event   Planning for 2007 starts almost immediately, if you would like to join in and help with plans or on the day at the 2007 event please contact Beryl   Some of the Angels wearing their  T-shirts: They are:- back row: Tony, Sheila, Henry front row: Jessica, Justine & Maxine. PRESS RELEASE – 23 AUG 07   21st ANGEL CANAL FESTIVAL, SUNDAY 2nd SEPTEMBER 2007, 11am to 5pm   The Angel Canal Festival is 21yrs old this year with the organisers pulling out all the stops to celebrate.  The London Canal Museum is presenting Jim Lagden, co-founder, with a Birthday Cake. Hanover School are joining in too and have submitted 178 entries into an Art & Literacy Competition devised specially for them with keys as a subject. Hyde Housing and Rydon Construction too have come up trumps and are providing a Climbing Tower at the Packington end of the Festival Site which will be free.  Another special feature will be a 7ft Angel on wheels whizzing round the streets.  Also making their first appearance will be two sculptures, a Swan and an Angel, both will be decorated with re-cycled materials with the swan being towed along the canal at the end of the event.  They were commissioned from local artist Martin Cottis of Monster Creations, who has a workshop beside the City Road Lock, with funding provided by Islington Community Chest. Also new this year is a Chinese Ribbon Dancer who will perform and then hold a Workshop.  The Manor Majorettes from Lewisham will be making their first appearance too, twirling their batons and marching. All the usual attractions will be present said co-ordinator Beryl Windsor, stalls, boat trips, children’s fun-fair, hawks & owls, live music, street theatre, Pearly Queens, food and refreshments, as well as the Have-a-go-at canoeing, sailing and, by popular request, pottery.  Another first is the free wrist-bands which are being offering to parents and carers for their children.  Even though the children who have wondered away in the past have never been lost for long, in view of current fears, we thought the bands with a contact number written on, would get them back even faster. We’ve had quite a mixed year said Beryl with the brick hut alongside the canal, used as a store during the year and vital Information Point on the day, being broken into and vandalised in April plus all the contents stolen, including our original Angel.  Had we not been able to find the money to repair it, it was due to be demolished but, thankfully, the council have granted a reprieve.  Ten days before the Festival, we heard from the National Grid, that the major towpath works ongoing since April will not be completed by 31st August, as hoped.  This will not stop us said Beryl, who was sure that, although a nuisance, it could be worked round and was meeting the contractors soon to ensure it was minimised and safe.  The good news has been all the support and encouragement from our generous sponsors and many departments of Islington Borough Council who have been very helpful as have British Waterways.  Now we just need some more Volunteers and a sunny day to match the last 20 Festivals!    Interested parties please contact Beryl Windsor on 0121 244 8439 or 07973 504 212 or beryl@angelcanalfestival.org   The Angel Canal Festival is Organised by the ACF Management Team comprising British Waterways, Islington Boat Club, Islington Narrowboat Association, St. Pancras Cruising Club, London Canal Museum, Friends of Islington Museum, Friends of Regent's Canal, London Borough of Islington. Special thanks to contributors of text and pictures to help build this site, contributors include Text from Martin Sachs of the London Canal Museum Photos from Pauline Lord, British Waterways, INBA and other contributors.