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In April 1950 Peter Scott set off aboard Beatrice on a combined campaign voyage and lecture tour for the Severn Wildfowl Trust that was to take him north to Liverpool, across the Mersey to the Manchester Ship Canal and back to Slimbridge by a different route. He was accompanied on this voyage by various leading IWA figures including Robert Aickman.
In 1955 the North-Eastern Branch held a Rally at Skipton.
In 1961 a three week inspection tour was made by Captain Munk and Robert Aickman aboard two Maid Line boats. This time the journey started from Maid Line's new base at Brinklow and included the River Trent, Calder & Hebble Navigation, Leeds & Liverpool Canal and a return journey on the Trent & Mersey Canal.
The deteriating state of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and concerns for its future led to the 1965 IWA National Rally being held at Blackburn. Mr & Mrs Joe Skinner were awarded the Alfred Ritchie Challenge Cockerel for the best working boat Friendship (see photograph).
To counter the exclusion of the Aintree to Liverpool section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from the designated "Cruiseways" and to improve the image of the canal in Liverpool IWA held their 1968 National Rally in the city. Around 170 boats attended.
A Stoppage of several months during occurred during 1979 at Foulridge Tunnel on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
IWA National Rally was held at Wigan in 1983. Around 50,000 people and 428 boats attended.
A long stoppage took place on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in 1991 due to an embankment failure at Blackburn.
In February 2003 the first meeting of the St. Helens Canal Steering Group took place to pursue the restoration of the St. Helens Canal (Sankey Brook Navigation) and to build a new link from it to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
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