Life on the canals at Foxton Locks
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Life on the canal is not just a place of leisure and tourism as Helen Mark finds out that more and more people are now full time residents on the water. For this Open Country Helen chugs along on \\u2018Ardley Way\\u2018 a 60 foot narrow boat with Pete and Bev Ardley who are full time residents at Foxton Locks in Leicestershire. Will Helen be convinced of this lifestyle? \\nMeanwhile ,Carolyn Watts is taking her lock keepers assessment, will she remember everything she\\u2019s been taught and get the narrow boats through Foxton locks and become a qualified lock keeper? A nurse by profession she started volunteering last year as the canals have always have always been part of her families history.\\nFoxton Locks consists of 10 locks all after each other and is the steepest and longest flight staircase of locks on the English canal system explains Alex Goode, the Site Manager whose father worked there too. Every year he and his team are responsible for almost 5000 boats going through the locks. \\nThe day ends at Bridge 61 as Helen meets Sarah and Shane Kennedy the newest members of the boating community; they\\u2019ve never been on a narrow boat, never holidayed on one but decided to buy and live on one permanently this year. As the depth of winter approaches are they still confident they\\u2019ve done the right thing?\\nThe producer is Perminder Khatkar.
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