Swansea Community Boat
Swansea Community Boat – The Copper Jack, Discover Swansea’s unique heritage – General public trips, corporate hospitality events, bookings for private functions. River trips include a “Floating Classroom” for schools and community use.
The Swansea Community Boat is licensed to carry up to 45 passengers plus crew. It has disabled access (a wheelchair lift), bar, galley, toilets and washroom. The “floating classroom” is a resource for school pupils and for lifelong learning. In addition to volunteers, staff will be employed to manage the trips and events. Based at the Swansea Marina, the Boat will operate on an existing waterway – the Tawe River Navigation – and the project will support the regeneration of local communities, through the rebirth of their historic waterway. The Community Boat will be based near the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea Marina. It will run on the Tawe River Navigation, which offers several miles of sheltered inland waterway. The river has little leisure use at present, so the project will create a completely new community facility. There is nothing comparable in the area as “Enfys”, the Rainbow Boat that formerly ran on the Neath Canal at Resolfen, is no longer operating. The Swansea Community Boat project is being developed by volunteers, including several retired teachers with experience of working with special needs and disadvantaged young people. The Trust is run by 8 trustees. Val Lloyd AM is the President. Local people are involved and members of community organisations have been co-opted to the management board. Membership is open to the public. Initially, the Community Boat will be operated by volunteers. As the project gets established, it is intended that core staff will be employed, but there will continue to be volunteering opportunities, such as boat crews and heritage guides.