National Community Boats Association

The National Community Boats Association or NCBA is a charity that provides support to Community Boating Organisations. Its does this primarily through training support but also by representing the interests of the member projects with the Canal and River Trust. The NCBA administers systems to help promote the safe use of the inland waterways. Its qualifications are recognised by the Canal and River Trust which allows Community Boating organisations to operate boats which carry up to 12 passengers.

A small selection of our member's details are shown below

Monmouthshire Brecon & Abergavenny Canals Trust

We are a small local charity run by volunteers. Set up in 1984, we are dedicated to the protection, improvement, and restoration of the canal for the benefit of the local community. We partner to undertake on-the-ground restoration and run the Fourteen Locks Canal Center at Newport. Our “not-for-profit” Community Boats operation is based at Goytre Wharf, with any income over-and-above operating costs reinvested into the education, restoration, improvement, and promotion of the canal.

Vale of Llangollen Canal Boat Trust

The Vale of Llangollen Canal Boat Trust is a registered charity set up in 1983 to raise money to build and operate a narrowboat to run day trips for disabled and disadvantaged groups of all ages. Lady Winifred is our new, specially designed and adapted, narrowboat launched on 30 June 2019. Our fully trained volunteers take out daytrips, 7 days a week, from April to October on the canals around the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (the 'stream in the sky') which is a World Heritage Site.

Truman Enterprise Narrowboat Trust

Our Aims & Objectives. To provide affordable day trips on the canals for community groups and families with members who are elderly, disabled, unwell or disadvantaged. To give an opportunity for people who are mostly from urban areas to experience the countryside and inland waterways. To provide accredited crew training courses for trust volunteers,groups of young people,group leaders and members of the public. To provide volunteering opportunities for people from all walks of life.

Milton Keynes Community Boat

12-passenger fully-electric accessible 54ft narrowboat, built by Colecraft, sucessfully launchedon the Grand Union in Milton Keynes in July 2021. Purpose: to raise awareness and funds to support the work of the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust in promoting a Waterway Park to link the Grand Union with the River Great Ouse. www.bmkwaterway.org It also supports community development, healthy walking and canalscape improvement. The Trust also runs the 50-seater John Bunyan in Bedford.

NCBA Training

Training is provided by NCBA projects know as Accredited Training Centres. The ATC has available to it one or more NCBA Trainers who can deliver the NCBA courses. Normally an ATC undertakes all its own training but will often run courses for external people. If you are not attached to a project and require training please contact an ATC in you area. These can be found on the Projects page.

Public Course Information

From time to time details of public training course places are made avaiailable here.

National Community Boats Association

A small selection of our member's details are shown below

NCBA Training

Public Course Information

Latest News

NCBA 2020 AGM – 12th December at 10:00am

NCBA 2019 AGM – 16th November at 10:00am

NCBA 2018 AGM – 17th November at 10:00am