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Newsletter
17th
February, 2005
Since our last newsletter
we have been very successful in raising
funds for our new boiler. We live
in a very generous local community
and not only is their help and support
much appreciated but also the wider
spread Friends of VIC 32 from all
over the world have shown themselves
to be equally benevolent. I always
knew that the Puffer was well loved
but quite how popular I have only
discovered in the few months since
April.
For those of you
who are not up to date with the Puffer
VIC 32s predicament, unfortunately,
as you will read in the enclosed newsletter,
the insurance company's surveyor failed
our boiler in the spring of last year.
As a result all holidays were cancelled
until further notice. It was felt
at the time that the boiler was not
worth repairing. We thought the expense
and hard work of doing so was not
going to achieve value for money as
one would end up with a repaired 60
year old boiler which could fail again.
Since then we have
been actively fundraising for a new
boiler. We are appealing for £150,710,
which is divided into four portions.
£40,000 for a new boiler, £40,000
for towing the vessel to Corpach Boatyard,
removing the old boiler and fitting
the new one and replacing the funnel
and engine room fiddley and £42,710
for replacing the hull plating in
that area whilst the opportunity allows.
The fourth portion is a contingency
allowance of £28,000.
We have raised to
date just over £35,000 The Friends
of VIC 32 association have helped
considerably in this figure. Also
we have appealed to the public through
the enclosed newsletter and articles
in newspapers. We have opened the
boat to the public on occasions and
sold our tea towels, mugs and T-shirts,
etc. We raised over £2,500 selling
raffle tickets. On September 17th
we had an art Show and Sale in the
Crinan Hotel which raised £7,200.
We have also been given a large sum
by friend and local artist, Jolomo.
You can see his art and other artists
work on the Art
for Sale web page. Some
of the art is for sale and all proceeds
go toward the boiler replacement fund.
You may buy the art on line.
We have been promised
£10,000 by the Manifold Trust,
the Tay Trust have given us £1000
and we are hoping for assistance from
other bodies, including the National
Heritage Lottery Fund.
We have a choice
of boiler makers: H.A.McEwen, Israel
Newton and Pridhams to build our new
boiler and negotiations are taking
place at the moment to organise pre-contract
work to create the necessary technical
drawings and obtain the permissions
from a notified body of inspectors
of pressure vessels. Once we have
gathered together all the money for
the project, we will be able to go
ahead and place the contract for the
new boiler and carry out all the necessary
work.
If you would like
to assist, please consider donating
some money by completing the
Gift Aid form. Thank you
for your interest and we look forward
to meeting you when the Puffer is
up and running again.
If you would like
to visit the Puffer and Mid Argyll,
the boat is open to the public far
a guided tour with some advanced notice.
You may consider staying locally and
if so, we have a holiday apartment
at Cairnbaan overlooking the Crinan
Canal. Please ring for availability
and prices.
Read
the other Newsletters:
14th
March, 2005
27th
August, 2004
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