Ambush Canal Services

17/12/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀.. Please note the following delivery days for over the Christmas period.
Derek will be delivering up to 3pm on Christmas Eve.
No deliveries Christmas day or Boxing day.
Normal deliveries from the 27th to the 30th.
New year's eve by arrangement ONLY.
No deliveries New year's day or on the 2nd of January 2025.
Normal deliveries from January the 3rd 2025.
Please make sure you get your orders in early.
Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas 🤶 🎄🎁☃️🎅🎄🎁☃️

06/12/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀.. This is just to let you know that there will be no deliveries between Sunday the 8th to the 12th of December, as Derek is having a bit of a much needed break before the Christmas deliveries. Please check with Derek after the 12th as to when he will be delivering again, but it will probably be on Friday the 13th.

20/11/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀 😀 😀.. Just to let you know that even though AMBUSH has not been running up and down the L & L these past few months, Derek is still delivering by road and will take your order by text, over the phone or on this page. It has been noticed that sales on the L & L have dropped rather low over the last few months. These sales of diesel, coal and gas help to keep Ambush running I.e. Mooring fees, insurance and licence which everyone knows are very expensive. So please please if you still want to see Ambush running up and down the L & L next year consider buying from Derek before anyone or anywhere else.
Ambush is also in desperate need of vital repairs to make this happen and needs to go on dry dock and funds are required, we know things are difficult for everyone at the moment but any amount would greatly be appreciated, so there is a GOFUNDME page on the societies page that handles the funds for the restoration of Ambush, just search for H&R Ainscough Barge Heritage Society. Thank you in advance for any orders or donations 😀😀😀

18/10/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀.. Derek was hoping to take Ambush to the Festival at Burscough this weekend, unfortunately due to engine problems and work he and Ambush will not be able to attend 🙁🙁🙁

30/09/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀.. Just an update for you all.. There is a one day festival at Burscough on Saturday the 19th of October. Derek is hoping to take Ambush to it but needs some help in getting the boat ready. If you have any spare time to help please give Derek a call and he will let you know when and time. Thanks in advance for any help 😀😀.

Details below 😀😀

Events calendar
Celebrating 250 years of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Burscough
The Mill at BurscoughEvent
Starts: 19 October 2024
Ends: 19 October 2024
10:00 am - 03:00 pm
Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath at Burscough Wharf, Liverpool Road North, Burscough Bridge,
Community event at Burscough Wharf to celebrate 250 years since the opening of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal between Wigan and Liverpool.

Join us for a community event to celebrate the the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Burscough. 19 October 2024 marks the 250th anniversary of the opening of the canal between Wigan and Liverpool.

Our event will celebrate the history of the canal in Burscough. We will be hosting family activities in Burscough Library, guided walks, information about our local volunteering, stalls from local canal and history groups, and a community art workshop to create a new artwork to celebrate the canal. We are also pleased to be welcoming historic canal boats with connections to the area.

10/09/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀... Just a bit of an update.. Ambush is still laid up at Crooke and will be for the foreseeable future, due to money and ongoing repairs. Derek is still doing deliveries by road, and is now also delivering to the boats on the Lancaster Canal. A quick reminder to people wanting orders, if you can get to Crooke by water you can collect your order direct from Ambush, by appointment only with Derek likewise you can also collect by car. This is to help Derek with the workload that he does have, also to minimise the the stress on his health.
If you collect your diesel from Crooke it will be 95p per litre. Delivered to Burscough areas it is £1.00..Thank you for your orders and support, much appreciated 😁😁

05/07/2024

Hi everyone 👋 hope you are all well 😀.. Just a quick update about what's happening. Derek is still delivering by road as Ambush is still tied up at Crooke. Derek's sales have dropped off over the last few months, and he has noticed some of his customers are going elsewhere for their supplies, which of course is their choice. That being said this results in Derek's profit going down drastically. The profit from the sales goes towards the upkeep and running of Ambush I. E. Licence, insurance, mooring and repairs. Derek would like to get Ambush up and running again so he can do the deliveries by water, but without the revenue coming in this just isn't possible. So because of the drop in sales Derek is seriously thinking of either selling Ambush or donating her to a charity or museum that will look after her, and he may also stop doing the deliveries by road. This isn't possibly the news everyone wants to hear but unfortunately this is the way things are at the moment. 😕😕😕

16/06/2024

Hi everyone.. As it's Derek's birthday he will be having a few days off, from tomorrow 17th to the 20th. So there will be no deliveries between those dates. Normal service will be resumed on Friday the 21st of June. Thanks in advance for all the birthday wishes 😁😁😁🍻🍾🥂🥃🍷🎊🎂🎉🎁

16/06/2024

Hi everyone 👋.. Please join me in wishing Derek a very happy 80th birthday today.. 80 years young and still going, serving the boaters on the canal. I'm sure he will be celebrating in style later. 🎉🎂🎊🍷🥃🥂🍾🍻

27/03/2024

Hi everyone.

PLEASE NOTE ALL DELIVERIES ARE BY ROAD ONLY. AMBUSH IS STILL TIED UP AT CROOKE AND WILL NOT BE MOVING FOR QUITE A WHILE. AMBUSH NEEDS SOME REPAIRS AND DEREK'S HEALTH ISN'T TOO GOOD AT THE MOMENT.

26/03/2024

Hi everyone hope you are all well 😁.. Here are the delivery details for Easter weekend.. Derek will be delivering on Good Friday the 29th and Saturday the 30th of March, there will be no deliveries between Sunday the 31st of March and Monday the 1st of April unless it is an emergency. Also there will be no deliveries between the 2nd of April and the 5th of April as Derek is having this week off. He will be delivering on Saturday the 6th of April. So make sure you stock up on diesel, coal and gas, ring or text Derek with your order no later than Wednesday the 27th so he can get everything by the Thursday... Hope everyone has a lovely Easter weekend 🐰🐰🐇🐇🐣🐣😁😁

04/02/2024

Hi everyone hope you are all well 😀 it has been a while since an update was posted so here goes.... Ambush should have been on her fuel run this weekend, but Derek is not well enough nor fit enough to do the fuel run on his own. If Derek can get people to help him load the boat and also to crew to help him serve customers, he will continue to take Ambush out once a month. Derek getting the help he needs is essential to keep Ambush carrying on delivering to the boaters on the canal, but until that happens Ambush will be staying tied up at Crooke.
Derek will be doing deliveries by road on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
If you come to Crooke to collect your own diesel and coal you will get a discount. Diesel at the moment is £1.05 per litre delivered if collected from Crooke it will be £1.00, if you collect your coal you will get 50p per bag discount. If you are collecting your order from Crooke you must also arrange with Derek a day and time.
PLEASE NOTE.. Payment for your order MUST be paid on delivery or collection either by cash, card or bank transfer.
Just so everyone knows the reason for this is.... All proceeds from orders go towards the running costs of Ambush i. e. Moorings, Insurance, License and dry docking fees.
So prompt payment is a must and would be much appreciated thank you.

20/12/2023

20/12/2023

Good morning everyone 😀.. Well apparently CRT won't get the part needed to repair the bridge at Crabtree Lane until maybe this Friday the 22nd of December, but hey this is CRT we are talking about so I wouldn't hold your breath ! So this means Derek's plans to come out with Ambush have had to change, so he will be delivering orders by road as soon as he can starting from tomorrow Thursday the 21st of December up to Sunday the 24th of December. Please help him as much as possible as he is in a lot of pain with his knee.
Please note if the bridge is repaired by next Wednesday the 28th of December Derek will come out with Ambush to finish the run. If the bridge is still not working he will moor at the top of the Rufford Line from the 28th to the morning of the 30th of December, so customers can go there to him and pick their order up. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please see attached link for the latest update.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/26900-navigation-closure-bridge-32-crabtree-swing-bridge-burscough-leeds-and-liverpool-canal

17/12/2023

Hi everyone hope you are all well 😀.. Due to the bridge at Crabtree Lane being out of action, Derek was unable to start his fuel run last Friday as previously stated. It has been mentioned that the bridge will be fixed on Monday 18th of December, but as yet no actual statement has been released. So Derek is going to set off on the run on Tuesday the 19th of December, and is hopeing the bridge will be fixed by the time he gets there. If the bridge is not fixed when he gets there, the customers past the bridge will have to have their orders delivered by road, hopefully this will not be the case and the bridge will be operational when he gets there.

12/12/2023

Hi everyone again... Derek is struggling at the moment with a sore knee, and is asking if anyone can help him load the boat. Also if there is anyone who could actually go on the run on the boat with him, to help serve the customers and do a bit of steering. If you can do either of these please give him a ring or a text. Any help would be much appreciated thank you.

11/12/2023

Hi everyone hope you are all well 😀.. Derek will be doing a fuel ⛽ run this weekend Friday the 15th to Sunday the 17th of December. So get your diesel, coal and gas delivered to your boat. Please text or ring Derek with your order no later than Thursday evening, this is so he can get everything loaded onto the boat on Friday. Please note this will be the last fuel ⛽ run with the boat until March 2024, due to a stoppage at Parbold. We will be posting Christmas times and days for deliveries by road next week, so please check back here then. Thank you for your custom 😀😀