What’s On

What can you see at Huddlesford in 2025?

Due to water shortages on the canal, most of our boats couldn’t make it to Huddlesford in 2025 — but that didn’t stop the fun! We still had plenty to enjoy on land, and a few beautiful boats made it through to grace the canal junction. Here’s what was on offer at this year’s Huddlesford Heritage Gathering…

Entertainment

From heritage crafts and glitter tattoos to classic cars, canal icons, children’s art, exotic animals, and high-powered trikes—plus boat trips if water levels allow—Huddlesford offers a vibrant mix of sights, sounds, and hands-on fun for all ages.

  • Bears Hay Straw Craft: Using old varieties of wheat to demonstrate the heritage craft of corn-dolly making.
  • Henna and GlitterFest: Henna tattoos and festival glitter.
  • Ebony the Shire Horse: A gentle giant and living piece of canal heritage. (Saturday only)
  • In2Colour Ltd: Children can create amazing creations and paint models at the stall with In2Colour Arts and Crafts.
  • Jan and John’s Motoring Memories: Classic wheels and costumes
  • Rewaco trike display: these high-performance, three-wheeled vehicles are designed for comfort, style, and serious road presence.
  • Staffordshire Portable Amateur Radio Club: Bringing the world to Huddlesford via 2-way radio.
  • Wild Actors: furry, feathery, scaly and crawly companions ready to charm you

and

  • Boat trips

Music

From toe-tapping country and blues to nostalgic folk and lively acoustic sets, Huddlesford’s music line-up offered something for every ear—celebrating local talent and timeless tunes all weekend long.

Saturday:

11:00: Work in Progress
12:00: Tame Delta Blues Band
13:00: Paul Lumsden aka Lumpy from Narrowboat Natterings.
14:00: Simple Folk
15:00: English Jones Band
16:00: Almost free

Sunday:

11:00: Paul Lumsden aka Lumpy from Narrowboat Natterings.
12:00: Simple Folk
13:00: Work in Progress
14:00: Ball and Chain Gang
15:00: Claret
16:00: Don’t Fret

Stage and audio management provided by Spotty Dog Events.

Food and drink

From sizzling street food and global flavours to homemade cakes, candy floss, and canal-side classics—there was a delicious spread on land, with something to tempt every tastebud.

On the canal:

  • The Curry Cruiser: Bringing the authentic taste of Indian home cookery to the canal network. Freshly-made street food and proper handed-down recipes, with locally-grown ingredients.

On land:

  • JW Catering: breakfast rolls, burgers, hotdogs, chips, veggie hotdogs, hot and cold drinks.
  • Sabura: Portuguese and African food
  • Aunty Lane’s Rocky Road
  • Carlie’s Cakes and Bakes: gluten-free cake and savoury stall
  • Ellen Aitche cake stall
  • Lichfield Cruising Club cafe
  • Lichfield Cruising Club bar

Floating traders

Low water levels sadly impacted many of our floating traders this year — but a few hardy boats still made it through and sold their wares along the towpath. From handcrafted goods to pre-loved treasures, there was plenty to browse! Some traders gracefully left the rapidly shallowing water and moved onto land instead — you’ll find them listed in the Land Traders section.

  • Rimbob: raising funds for the RNLI by selling a variety of items. Every purchase helps support lifesaving work at sea.
  • Liberty: Offering pre-loved items and reducing waste.
  • Candles on the Cut: handcrafted aboard narrowboat Free Spirit, these eco-friendly, vegan candles, melts, diffusers and room sprays are infused with beautiful scents.

Historic Boats

These boats battled through the shallows to be with us!

  • Lancing: A true British Waterways trailblazer, Lancing was the first boat painted in BW’s iconic blue and yellow livery and the first to be fitted with a PD2 air-cooled engine. She marks a turning point in canal fleet history—where tradition met modernisation.
  • Owl: Built in 1928 for Fellows, Morton & Clayton, Owl is a classic motor narrowboat with deep historic roots. Extensively restored in the 1990s with a keen eye for originality, she proudly retains her character—including a Kelvin K2 engine.
  • Tycho: Built in 1936 by W. J. Yarwood & Sons for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company, one of the rare all-steel Middle Northwich pairs. Tycho was later shortened during WWII to serve as an icebreaker and maintenance boat and is the only one that still retains the ice breaking ram.

Land traders

Our craft market was bursting with handmade treasures—from crystals, canal art, and eco-friendly skincare to fairy doors, vintage tools, dog treats and towpath-foraged preserves—offering magic, creativity, and something special for every visitor

  • Billysdreams: One stop for crystals, incense and all your holistic needs
  • Champion Dog Shop: Quality natural treats, products and toys.
  • Cyndie Short Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic Independent consultant: Award-winning skin care collections, made from organic, ethically sourced herbs, botanicals, and essential oils.
  • Fiona’s Fairy Doors: Handmade rustic wooden fairy doors, miniature fairy gardens in tea cups and a variety of felt makes, guaranteed to bring a bit of magic into your lives!
  • Glitter & HennaFest: Festival hair, head and body glitter. 100% Organic henna tattoos.
  • Hillwood Gifts: Wooden ducks and other gifts for all occasions, bespoke designs made to order.
  • Howard the Bodger: a sustainable hardware business selling restored and refurbished vintage and antique tools in a ready to use condition.
  • In2Colour Ltd: Make your own amazing creations with In2Colour Arts and Crafts. Aprons are provided and their wonderful models go home with you in the bag provided.
  • Knotty Creations: Handmade macramé, paracord creations, and 3D-printed gifts. Custom orders welcome
  • Lavinia’s mystical caves: Lots of goodies including greenmen, candles and wooden items.
  • Light and Dark: Everyone has light and dark in their soul so come see which side draws you.
  • MadHev Crafts: Unique hand painted stones, including painted to order for birthdays, anniversaries and memorials.
  • Maria’s Homemade Creative Bits And Bobs: Decoupaged vases, jars, tea light holders and tiles.
  • Open Hatch Crafts: usually afloat, but now on land, offering handmade macramé, jewellery and a selection of vintage treasures.
  • Teddy Tombola: Classic fun with with punch balloons and pick a bag.
  • The Traditional Sweet Stall: Step back in time with nostalgic treats and timeless favourites.
  • Wakamata Ndoto: Handcrafted items sourced from charity shops, and eco-friendly refillable cleaning products from Miniml, plus canal art and macrame storage solutions (usually on a boat but now on land).
  • Wildside Preserves: Delicious handmade preserves, many including ingredients forages from the towpath.

Charities and other exhibitors

From canal restoration and wildlife conservation to veteran support, animal rescue, and heritage fundraising—our charity stalls showcased the incredible work of local and national groups making a real difference in our communities and waterways.

  • Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust: The reason we’re all here – restoring the Lichfield Canal to connect Huddlesford to Brownhills.
  • Animal Rescue Volunteers: A dedicated group of animal lovers, rescuing and rehabilitating small animals in need and collaborating with local rescues in the community.
  • Chasewater Model Boat Club: Friendly family orientated model boat club, based at Chasewater Lake rear Cannock.
  • Coventry Canal Society: Promoting the Coventry Canal Society, Mercia Canoe Club, the Coventry Canal and the Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign
  • Friends of Raymond: Fundraising: through the sale of unique, handmade “narrowboat” planters, cards; mugs, tea towels, children’s novelties and second-hand canal/railway books.
  • Greyhound Trust: A registered charity who finds home for retired Greyhounds – a wonderful breed who deserve their very own sofas to claim.
  • Inland Waterways Association: Educating about the waterways and raising funds for IWA campaigns and restoration by selling waterways related books, maps and gifts.
  • Royal National Lifeboat Institution: Water safety education, advice and fundraising with a small number of RNLI items for sale.
  • Rugeley and Armitage Camera Club: Showcasing a stunning selection of photographs—capturing everything from canal scenes and wildlife to creative compositions and community moments. (Find them in the bar.)
  • Stafford Riverway Link: Promoting the restoration of the navigation into Stafford.
  • Staffordshire Wildlife Trust: Your local charity protecting wildlife and wild places. Discover local nature, explore projects, and support their work by becoming a member.
  • Veterans Afloat: Restoring narrowboats to offer veterans a floating home for up to 18 months, giving stability and a place to heal.

Classic cars

A stunning line-up of vintage wheels and iconic brands, thanks to dedicated car clubs and collectors who keep motoring history alive.

  • Amber Valley Classic Car Club
  • Jaguar Enths Club Central West Midlands Region
  • Notts / Derby Triumph Stag club
  • O.C.C.C Old Codgers Car Club
  • Online Austin Seven Club
  • SOTCCC
  • Stafford MG Enthusiasts Club
  • Stag club
  • Alvis
  • Armstrong
  • Aston Martin
  • Austin
  • Bedford
  • Cadillac
  • Crossley
  • Dennis
  • Ford
  • Jaguar
  • MG
  • Morris
  • Pontiac
  • Reliant
  • Riley
  • Rover
  • Triumph

… and more!