Whaley Wharf weekend a 'roaring success'

Whaley Wharf Weekend took place last weekend with visitors able to enjoy stalls, music and story tellers.

Organiser Nev Clarke said: “So many people kept coming up to us and thanking us for putting something on. It was really nice to know people were pleased to see us back.”

The weekend marked the second anniversary of the dam crisis but Nev said it was more about remembering the community spirit and how people came together.

He said: "Last year there were no carnivals across the HIgh Peak and this year although things are starting to open up again there hasn’t been much going on.

“For the past 18 months we haven’t had much to come together for so it was really lovely to see people walking around talking to friends and family and doing something normal.”

Although numbers were not as strictly controlled as they were last year Nev said there was easily more than 2,000 people over the two days which he described as a roaring success.

There was a band performing on each day at the Whaley Bridge Canal Basin as well as stalls, and family fun with a story teller.

Nev said: “The Transhipment Warehouse is a great community asset and it was wonderful seeing so many people come and have a look round and see what we have been up to.”

One of the focal points during the weekend was the Chinook lantern made back in 2019 to reflect the amazing effort of those who saved the community.

The lantern was inside the warehouse but needed repairs and artist Andy Calvert visited and helped redo the internal skeleton so the lantern was given pride of place during the wharf weekend.

The next event planned will be a beer and gin festival which will be taking place at the Transhipment Warehouse on Saturday August, 28.

For more information and to stay up to date with the latest goings on at the canal basin follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WhaleyBridgeCanalGroupCIC.

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