In pictures: Music legend Pete Waterman sails into Braunston for historic festival

TV star David Suchet was unable to open the rally his year, so his wife, Lady Sheila, accepted the marina’s invitation to launch the event on Buckingham Canal Society’s ‘Diana the Dredger’.

Braunston Marina director Tim Coughlan said: “The annual Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally remain by far and away the largest gathering of these historic narrowboats anywhere on the inland waterways, and best place for gongoozlers to be seen in great numbers, of which there about 5,000 attending the rally, coming from all parts of the UK and abroad.

“David had presented it to the Buckingham Canal Society in October 2023 in memory of my late wife Diana, who had died of cancer in 2014. Given Sheila would be seen on a dredger, she put her designer clothes to one side and opted for the sort of overalls worn by the World War II Idle Women, plus a boatman’s red scarf I gave her, and a with cap loaned to her by David.”

Her arrival was accompanied by a peel of bells from Braunston Church – ‘the Cathedral of the Canals,’ and fine music from Daventry Brass.

Sheila visited the various stands taken by a number of canal societies, where she presented cheques to them from the rally, the largest of which was £1,000 to the Buckingham Canal Society.

Around £5,000 was donated to canal and local causes.

Entertainment included the canal-travelling Alarum Theatre, with their new show, a bitter-sweet comedy with song about working women of the canals, and the tough lives they had led.

The rally’s resident music-impresario Janul produced the musicians she finds each year for the beer tent.

Children were entertained by Professor Diamond’s Punch & Judy show.

A candle-lit choral concert by Fiori Musicali of Renainssance music closed the show.

The Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally, which takes place on the last weekend in June, is sponsored by Braunston Marina and Towpath Talk, and is supported by the Canal & River Trust.