Bosco, Alberto, Theo and Finn on one of the Islington Boat Club boats

A FUNDRAISING drive kicked off in earnest at the Angel Canal Festival on Sunday as Angel’s Islington Boat Club fights to stay alive following their dramatic shutdown in May over building safety concerns.

The boat club, based in the City Basin and set up 52 years ago after developers were stopped from turning the area into a car park, saw its doors shut abruptly earlier this year by town hall bosses who told them the building was not fit for purpose.

The club’s trustees say they need to raise £35,000 by March or they will not be able to reopen at all, as they will have been bankrupted by paying ongoing costs without any money coming in.

Members of the Islington Boat Club                                                                                                                                                  Simon King Photography

Boat club manager Sarah-Jane Elvin said: “We have to save it. There’s no ‘if’ – we have to. There is a huge legacy and a huge community interest and it’s just because we were closed and the council are involved – which is great – it means everything takes so long and I think it’s snuck up on everybody that suddenly it’s the middle of September next week.”

She said they raised £500 in donations on the day with more still coming in and expressed joy at seeing people out on the water for the first time since the club was shut in spring. But she said she was “shocked” at the number of people who were unaware of the club.

On Sunday hundreds of families turned out for the festival in the bright summer sunshine, to take free pedalo and kayak rides with the club.

An ice cream van, food trucks and circus equipment were some of the attractions on the day, along with Morris dancing and a Punch and Judy show – run by “Professor” David Wilde, who staged his show in an original Victorian box with 100-year-old puppets.

Ms Elvin called on people to join the campaign: “The first thing I want to say is to thank everyone who came and supported us on Sunday. It’s a great start and we appreciate every single donation that people made and if people have ideas to fundraise or campaign please get in touch with us.”