THE bank holiday drizzle was far from ideal, but the rain failed to put a dampener on one of the National Waterways Museum’s showpiece events.

The annual Easter Gathering, now into its 41st year, still managed to pull in plenty of families despite the soggy conditions.

Boats from around the country descended on Ellesmere Port for the event. Museum bosses had predicted this would be one of the biggest gatherings they have ever staged, as more boats than usual were able to and moor up on the newly-opened Upper Basin.

Easter Boat Gatherings mark the official start of the boating season. And while the colourful narrowboats and barges took centre stage across the weekend, there was plenty more on offer as the museum also played host to live music, theatre and activities for the whole family.

Music always plays a key role in the gathering.

Saturday night’s headliners were Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley with Emily Sanders. Graham Bellinger also performed his atmospheric ‘Songs of the Canals’ while award-winning folk artist Phil Underwood also took to the stage over the weekend.

Other acts booked in by the museum, run by the Canal & River Trust, included folk band Full House.

Children and families also enjoyed music created just for them by acclaimed folk musician and story teller David Gibb, whose act allows people the chance to sing and play along.

Given the wet weather which accompanied most of the event, which ran from Friday until Monday, it was a relief that several attractions could be enjoyed indoors.

Plenty of visitors took the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the museum’s new boat store, where vessels raised from the Upper Basin earlier this year are being stored and worked on. There were also boat trips on canal boat Centaur, while accessible boat Over the Rainbow also took people through Ellesmere Port’s historic locks so they could experience at close hand how the system works.

A key part of the ‘gathering experience’ saw costumed interpreters bring the Porters Row cottages and the Slipway to life. There were behind-the-scenes tours by the museum’s Young Curators and volunteers.