THE Leeds and Liverpool Canal will become a moving stage this month as a traditional canal boat tours the area looking at the heritage of both the canal and the River Aire.

Set aboard a 1930s canal boat called The Ribble, ‘This Island’s Mine’ is part play and part ‘friendly chat around the kitchen table’.

Audiences are invited to join two characters in conversation and discover the history and heritage of Yorkshire’s waterways.

The tour will take in 11 locations, starting in Leeds today (Thursday) and finishing in Skipton, with two performances, on Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26. The boat will also stop off at Silsden, on September 24.

Director Simon Brewis, said:“This Island’s Mine is a story for everyone because we are all shaped by the places that we live.

“Whether you have a vested interest in the waterways, industry, and heritage, want to learn more about it, or are simply looking for something to do of a weekend – we’re here for you.”

Using simple props and much humour to tell the story of Barbara and Danny, two friends who grew up in Dockfield, Shipley, audience members can help the characters build a map detailing the history of the waterways and shared stories.

The map will ultimately be displayed at Leeds Industrial Museum in Armley.

Simon added: “Dockfield, is a strip of land sandwiched between the River Aire and the Leeds Liverpool Canal – hence the title. “As we discover more of the characters’ island home with its happy memories there is a definite nostalgic air, but as they reminisce about its heavy industry we see that things actually were not always better back then and their tale starts to map out a hopeful future for our waterways as Atlantic salmon return to the River Aire.”

The play has been commissioned by the Aire Rivers Trust’s ‘Developing the Natural Aire’ (DNAire) project in collaboration with Canal Connections and Multi-Storey Water - each one a grass roots organisation working to improve rivers and waterways and safeguard their future.

Simon Watts, the Aire River Trust’s community engagement officer, said: “We are delighted to bring this play to the water and explore how Airedale has shaped, and continues to shape, our communities as river, canal, and railway weave around each other.

“We want to encourage people to explore their local waterways, to be inspired, to discover new gems along the way, and to help us protect them and give them a future - I’m sure This Island’s Mine will help us do just that.”

Tickets cost £3. For more information and to book visit www.aireriverstrust.org.uk/this-islands-mine/