Janet's Blog – Spring 25

I've been doing a lot of looking back this last week – daughter No 1 hit her 24th birthday and it's made both Angus and I stop and think back over the last 17 years. Why 1 7years I hear you ask? Well 15 years ago this spring the marina opened for business, which means that 17 years ago it was an idea in our minds which was starting to take shape. We spent 2 years doing our market research and formulating our plans. We visited many other marinas around the country in the process and learned how to bribe the kids, with the promise of a treat when we got there to keep them happy. I do wonder now if that's why they seem to associate marinas with ice cream and there was one memorable occasion when we took them to one marina open day and it was literally just a hole in the ground – no reception, no shop, no café and definitely NO ice cream. Daughter No 1 was not impressed. 

When we opened, we operated from a porta cabin which was sited at the end of the slipway. Every time a boat came in I had to jump on my bike and cycle round to the fuel bay. The reception building came a month or so later and it was such a luxury to have a proper counter and a desk. At that point we were having a really dry spring, just like this year, and we watched helplessly while all the grass seed we'd paid a fortune to have put down shrivel up. A second sowing of seed later and eventually everywhere started to green over. The island was awash with wild flowers that Angus had managed to sow with the tractor before we allowed the water in. It was really odd to go from having the marina all to ourselves in the end of build phase to being open to the public – opening up was both a scary and joyous time all rolled into one. 

 The Audlem Lass came into being in 2011, and the Overwater Wheelyboat Service a few years later, all thanks to Rodney who was a close friend of Richard, Angus's dad. Richard was immensely proud of the marina and although he became ill with motor neurone disease not long after we opened, he was well enough to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of our Jubilee Bridge in 2012. As the years have gone by we've taken a great deal of pride in improving the marina and its surroundings and as we do so we always think of him. 

The addition of our CAMAC Certificated Location touring pitches in 2011, our touring site and holiday lodges in 2017 and Lakeview which is home to our seasonal pitches and railway glamping wagons in 2022, has certainly kept us busy and we're really proud to have grown the number of people we employ. Over the years the grass has grown, the daffodils Richard planted have bloomed and the trees have grown and grown. Over the years we have planted over 10,000 hedge plants and 500 trees and created an edible trail – look out for the herbs and fruit trees! Every day we see a wonderful array of waterfowl and celebrate spring with the arrival of an assortment of chicks from moorhens to cygnets. As I drive in I see brown hare in the fields and buzzards overhead and I literally give thanks for the fact that for the last 15 years I have had the best job in the world and work with the best team in the world.