Just before Christmas 2021, 150 people, including paddleboarders, came along in the darkness to an evening of carols, mince pies and mulled wine on the canal side at Saul Junction.

This was almost double the number of people who attended the last service in 2019, signalling a quick growth in its popularity. Waterways Chaplain Charles Garven and his wife Pat organised the carol service, as a way to share some of the Christmas spirit with the canal network community.

Charles said, “Frampton Silver Band did us proud, as usual, as did the Severnside Singers who attended for the first time this year. I think we all had a very enjoyable evening and thankfully the rain held off for long enough!”

You can read a copy of the article in the Gloucester diocese newsletter