We met on a boat!

The Friends of Gloucestershire Archives have had a quiet few weeks since the Gloucester History Festival. During the festival we sponsored one of the Blackfriars talks, supported numerous events organised by Archive staff, and ran our own event at St Mary de Lode Church.

However, since then we have made history – in a very modest sort of way. We usually hold our Annual General Meeting at the Archives but that was impossible this year because of the building works.  We hunted for an alternative venue but it was graduation day at the Cathedral, and all the other venues we tried were unavailable.   The solution?  We met on a boat!  How many charities have held their AGM on a boat?

The boat in question was the ‘Sabrina 5’, which is moored next to the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester Docks. She was built in 1944 for the Ministry of War as a cargo transporter.  She is part of the National Historic Fleet, putting her in the same league as the Cutty Sark and HMS Victory.  The boat has recently been refurbished as an education centre and a meeting space.  She has disabled access, a galley kitchen and space for up to 60 people in a very smart and pleasant environment.  Our thanks to everyone at the Museum for making Sabrina available to us.

After the meeting we had a fascinating tour of the Museum, exploring the unique history of Gloucestershire’s waterways.

Who says Annual General Meetings are boring?