A mischievous little bear had to be on his best behaviour when he visited a Hyde boatyard back in 1992.
Sooty was there to offer a helping paw when his right hand man Matthew Corbett popped in to see Kevin Wadsworth, the owner of Warble Narrowboats where his new boat Midnight was being built.
The order was a welcome boost for Kevin who had recently relocated from Ashton’s Portland Basin.
Matthew and his wife Sallie had been narrowboat enthusiasts for about eight years.
They had sold their previous boat because their children had lost interest, but they then decided to commission a smaller one to celebrate Matthew’s 45th birthday.
“Sooty and I have always enjoyed our visits to Tameside so I thought we’d help to bring money and employment to the area by having the boat built at Warble’s,” he told the Reporter.
The pair would soon be returning for Sooty’s Picnic, their latest show at Tameside Hippodrome.
Main image:
Matthew shows Sooty a model of his new boat on their visit to Warble Narrowboats.
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