Family with narrowboat jewellery business float into Dudley - for one week only
Rich MacKenzie and his family not only live on their narrowboat, but make their own upcycled jewellery on it as part of their business - Bike & Boat.
It sounds like something from a fairytale, as the family and their two furry friends travel the waterways of the country, making and selling their unique jewellery along the way.
Over the past week, the family boat, Bluebell, has been docked in Dudley, where the MacKenzies have been creating and selling their creations to people from the Black Country.
The 42-year-old jeweller said: "We’ve already had a great welcome in the Black Country. Having left Oxford at the start of winter, Dudley is our midway stop on our adventure of the canals of the UK, with our ultimate destination Llangollen in North Wales."
The town has welcomed the MacKenzie family with open arms, who have been docked on the canal near the Bottle & Glass Inn from Monday to Friday this week.
Rich is joined on the boat by his wife Jackie, 11-year-old son Bobby and five-year-old daughter Fleur, as well as their cat and 13-month-old rescue puppy.
The family set out on their adventure around the UK after Rich lost his father in 2020. The jeweller said: "When dad passed away, it hit me like a ton of bricks just how short life is.
"Having a trade that I can do from the stern deck of the boat means that we can travel the UK’s canals and rivers to our heart’s content."
The family upcycle formerly used materials like copper and bicycle tubing to make bracelets, earrings, rings, and pendants - as well as keyrings and bookmarks.
Although trade has had a huge impact on the business, Rich's mission to upcycle around the UK has not wavered.
He said: "I make each item of copper jewellery to order so that it’s just right and fits the customer perfectly.
"Selling my products on demand works well as living on a canal boat we don’t have a great deal of room to keep a big stock of pieces.
"I usually use copper gifted to me from local plumbers we find on our travels to make my pieces of jewellery."
If their 16,000 followers on Facebook are anything to go by, people want to see more of not only upcycling, but of their idyllic family life.
For more information, go to bybikeandboat.co.uk.
