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Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of the British Isles

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Open Country: Pete Waterman at Braunston Marina

Pete Waterman at Braunston Marina

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, Pete Waterman at Braunston Marina

Songwriter and music producer, Pete Waterman, revisits his childhood holidays

Songwriter and music producer Pete Waterman revisits his childhood holidays at Braunston Marina and learns about its history at the heart of Britain's canal network.

Pete Waterman, is best known as part of the hugely successful music production and song-writing partnership, Stock Aitken Waterman, creating hits for artists like Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley. But he grew up in Coventry close to the canal, and years of fishing with his father while on holiday at Braunston Marina gave him an interest in the canals and their history.

Braunston Marina is situated at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford canals, not far from Daventry. In this programme, Pete revisits his childhood holidays at the Marina and learns more about the important role it has played as the heart of the canal network.

2020 marks 50 years since the last regular commercial canal contract came to an end. It was called the Jam 'Ole Run and involved boats taking coal from around Coventry to a jam factory in London, going via Braunston. Pete finds out more about it, and gets to see one of the boats that was present on the last ever run.

Produced by Heather Simons

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