Seagull Trust Cruises Ratho Branch

"Seagull Trust Cruises" is Incorporated in Scotland as a company limited by guarantee (no SC179736) and is registered as a Charity (Scottish Charity Number SC027163).

Registered Office: The Boathouse Lochgreen Road, Bantaskine Park, Falkirk, Scotland, FK1 5PT.

The Trust has 4 branches: Ratho, Kirkintillock, Falkirk and Inverness.

The cruise described on this web site is run by the Ratho branch:

Seagull Trust Cruises Ratho Branch: Canal Side, Baird Road, Ratho, Newbridge, Midlothian, EH28 8RE.

• The Trust provides free canal cruising for people with special needs and their families, carers and supporters. It is not our practice to enquire into the nature of the "special need". Many of our clients are just "elderly".
• Our barges are each limited to 12 passengers and are wheelchair accessible with accessible toilets. Most passengers come in organised groups but we try to accommodate everyone with a need.
• We are entirely run by unpaid volunteers and depend on charitable donations for financial support. We are not supported by public funds.
• Our barges are skippered by trained volunteers. Training is supervised by the Royal Yacht Association and skippers hold their Inland Waterways Helmsman qualification or equivalent.
• New volunteers and financial donations are always welcome. We have separate crews for each day of the week so volunteers typically offer a particular day each week.
• We operate 7 days a week from the end of March to the end of October plus Santa Cruises in the run up to Christmas.

Ratho Cruise Bookings

Telephone: Please call Booking Secretary on 07511 055081

Email: rathobookings@seagulltrustcruises.org.uk

The Name of the Trust

John R. Hume was the first Chairman of Seagull Trust. In his note “The Origin of the Seagull Trust 25 May 2009” he wrote:

“Major Simon Campbell, manager of the Lady Haig Poppy Factory in Edinburgh joined the steering group, and it was he who suggested the name 'Seagull Trust' referring to the apparently effortless flight of these birds, an analogy to the freedom which canal boating can give.”

In the late 1960s the author Richard Bach wrote a series of short stories which were published in book form in 1970 as “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” illustrated by Russell Munsen. The book was made into a film in 1973 with an award winning soundtrack album by Neil Diamond.

See the website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Livingston_Seagull

It is possible that Major Campbell was inspired by this book.

Seagull Trust Cruises website: https://www.seagulltrust.org.uk/