Neptune Health Park moorings put Tipton on the map
In 2012 the moorings at Neptune Health Park in Tipton were officially opened. Since then a lot has happened in this area.
Tipton now boasts two annual visits of Birmingham Canal Navigation Society (BCNS) cruises with about 15-20 boats per cruise, which are highly valued by the participants due to the friendliness of the people and the services available. Plans are underway to have one of the cruises culminate in next year's Tipton Canal & Community Festival, which will take place September 19 and 20.
It is also worth mentioning that a group of canal lovers was formed. The 'Friends of Tipton Cut', have adopted a stretch of the Tipton canals, which means that the area will be cleaned and maintained regularly. This group works alongside the Canal & River Trust (CART).
2014 saw the first Easter Boat Rally at the moorings, and there are plans for another one to take place next year due to popular demand.
The moorings are used extensively throughout the year due to local services such as shops, a pharmacy, opticians, a post office, churches, a library, community centres, pubs and more than enough places to eat at competitive prices.
Boaters now seem to have more confidence to stay in the Tipton area, where once they would have just passed through.
The annual Tipton Canal & Community Festival is going from strength to strength and is very popular throughout the area and surrounding boroughs.
We feel that all the above mentioned facts have made a positive contribution to the lifting of community spirit in Tipton, and we have seen wonderful examples of community empowerment in action. Local businesses are reaping the rewards too, and the people living near the canals enjoy seeing the canal boats moored up outside their door.
The first canal festival in 2008 was the drop which caused a lot of ripples. What a great development for the area and people's perception of the canals!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all involved for making this possible, and please feel free to spread the news that Tipton is now on the map.
See the original post on the Tipton Community Association blog.
