Outpouring of kindness after vandalism proves good things flow

Martin Hesp explains how the revamped Duchess is a leader in eco-friendly boating

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The thing about belting around travelling here, there and everywhere is that you can miss important things which happen back at home. For example, after one trip abroad this summer I was sitting in our living room with the local news on in the background, when I spotted a very good friend dominating the TV screen. It was Ian Macnab aboard his boat the Duchess of Cocklemoor - so I turned the sound up and was appalled to hear that this wonderful old vessel had been vandalised.

By the time I could hear what he was saying, Ian was telling the TV reporter how people had been so generous in their donations after the boat had been damaged, he and his team had been able to fully revamp and repair this much-loved community asset.

One of the things I love about my friend is that he is one of the few perpetual optimists I know in this often mean and cruel world. So many people (probably me included) would have focussed on the fact that some air-headed idiots had seen fit to wreck a lovely old vessel when it was moored in the middle of its home town, Langport. A boat which Ian and his team had spent so many thousands of unpaid hours turning into a thing which gives so much joy.

But Ian’s entire take on the matter was the reverse. Instead of being angry with the vandals he was massively heartened by the public response. “Isn't it wonderful that there are so many kind and generous people around,” he told me this week. “I've been involved with The Duchess for years now and, if I’m honest, I'd become a little weary with it all. There were times recently when I wondered if all the effort had been worth it - and suddenly here was this outpouring of kindness and support from the community and beyond. It turns out people love the idea of the Duchess and, thanks to their generosity, we’ve been able to completely revamp and repair her.