The Whaley Water Weekend (W3) has become one of Whaley Bridge's biggest community events since it was launched in the Millennium year.

All the W3 attractions take place either on water, or at the picturesque canal basin.
In recent years, the W3 committee has arranged a visit by a fairground, held on the
nearby car park - the first fair to come to the town in decades.

Boat trips are the central part of the event, with three or sometimes four hire boats.They take people on canal trips either to the canal junction, with a full heritage commentary, or to historic Bugsworth basin. In 2008 and 2009, thanks to grants and internal fund-raising, the committee was able to make the boat trips free for everybody. This was well appreciated in an era of recession.

Other features of W3 include:

• traditional children's entertainment, such as Punch and Judy
• music and dancing - from brass bands to jazz groups, rock groups to morris dancing, folk singing to Appalachian step dancing
• craft stalls, fast food including a hog roast, canoe and sailing displays, a charity balloon race, children's choir and a local heritage lecture on the opening evening.

W3 is supported by Whaley Bridge Town Council through an annual grant. Other income is provided by generous sponsorship, especially from our main sponsor during the last three years, Autotech Service Centre,

The support of local businesses who advertise in our programme/business guide - distributed by The Review local newspaper to every house in Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale - creates invaluable revenue.

Our thanks to all who give us their support: Our premier sponsors... Ian Smith -
publisher of The Review, Memories of India, the Jodrell Arms, Chronicle Accountants and Trafalgar Marine Services, also our event auditor KBS Partnership of Whaley Bridge...and the hundreds of people who visit the event each year.