Lyneal Trust near Ellesmere opens up the Llangollen Canal for everyone

For more than 40 years, a small charity beside the Llangollen Canal near Ellesmere has been making holidays possible for families who thought a canal break was out of reach. The Lyneal Trust specialises in fully accessible holidays for people with physical and hidden disabilities, and this year its chairman was recognised in the King's Birthday Honours.

Chris Symes was awarded the British Empire Medal for his service to accessible holidays and experiences for people with disabilities and vulnerabilities. He has been a trustee for 20 years and chairman for 14 of them, devoting time and expertise to developing the Trust's facilities at Lyneal Wharf.

Under his leadership the Trust has made major improvements to its specially adapted holiday and day boats, and to its shore-based accommodation. His work has helped the Trust provide a growing number of accessible holidays, day trips and memorable experiences for people of all ages with disabilities, health conditions and other vulnerabilities. Fellow trustees, volunteers and supporters congratulated him on the honour.

The Trust is run almost entirely by a team of around 60 volunteers. Its six-berth holiday boat, Shropshire Maid, is 70 feet long and fully accessible for wheelchair users, with a ramp, hydraulic lift and an accessible wet room. Visitors can also book a day out on the Shropshire Lady. The boat gives families with a disabled or vulnerable member the chance of a holiday they thought would never be possible.

From the wharf, holidaymakers can head towards Llangollen through the 1,377-foot Chirk Tunnel and across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which stands 126 feet high.

Back on dry land, Wharf Cottage and two further accessible cottages provide step-free accommodation, spacious wet rooms and enclosed gardens, along with a fully fitted kitchen and a bright new garden room. The Trust pays close attention to hidden disabilities as well as physical ones, down to carefully chosen colour schemes.

The cottages also make it possible for families to holiday together, for example when a disabled parent would otherwise struggle to join a family break.

In the quiet countryside of the north Shropshire meres, the Lyneal Trust shows how volunteers can open up the waterways to everyone.

The Lyneal Trust is based at Lyneal Wharf, near Ellesmere. For bookings and enquiries, visit lyneal-trust.org.uk.