Menu Menu

Fundraiser launched after floating shop sinks due to pollution

The founder of Rubber Ducky Records, Myles Greenwood, has launched a fundraising campaign after his floating independent record shop was destroyed en route to Manchester last week. 

Myles Greenwood turned his boat into an independent music shop and venue, housing over 2000 pieces of vinyl and recording equipment.

Since October last year, the boat has been drifting through Britain’s waterways, bringing vintage vinyl and radio shows to towns and cities across the country.

Last week, while traveling to Manchester, Rubber Ducky Records was sadly flooded after an entanglement with rubbish in the canal. After the boat’s propeller got caught on something large beneath the surface it was seen tipping into the murky water with a broken stern.

A stray ‘rug or mattress’ is suspected to be behind the boat’s sad and soggy demise which comes as no surprise as Britain’s waters continue to face a period of neglect.

In the latest report by the Office for National Statistics, it was revealed that just 30 percent of rivers and canals were classed as in “good” condition – showing no improvement from the last report released in 2010.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by On The Button (@onthebutton__)

In 2020, the government announced a target for 75 percent of England’s water bodies to achieve “good” ecological status by 2027, however three years on, recent allegations of negligence and calls for the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, to resign from Kier Starmer and the Liberal Democrats have made clear the UK’s pollution crisis continues to spiral.

Just last month leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, told the Guardian the environment secretary had let water companies get away with environmental crime for too long and stated she “must now resign or be sacked so we can have an environment secretary who actually cares about saving our rivers from destruction.”

The issue of the UK’s waterways has become a hot topic in Britain’s recent local elections and remains an everyday disruption for boat folk like Myles Greenwood, who, after losing over 1000 records and all of his equipment during the flood is on a mission to revive Rubber Ducky Records.

Myles says the boat will need a ‘refit inside, a new engine, new stock, and new equipment’ but he hasn’t given up on his dream for the bass-loving boat.

Myles told us that before the incident he’d felt as though the journey was only just beginning, adding “I’m extra determined to get her swimming again because of the community spirit and support I’ve felt from people all over the world. It’s really hit home how important small businesses like this can be for people.”

To help rescue Rubber Ducky Records and get the boat grooving again, check out their GoFundMe here.

Accessibility