Vote for the Taunton trip boat

Their idea is to make the pleasurable experience of a boat trip available to everyone - and they are asking for your vote.

The bid for funding has been shortlisted in the BIG Lottery People's Millions Competition. The River Tone Community Trip Boat is one of two projects in the ITV West region that will appear on the 6pm ITN news programme on 25 November 2008. The project that gets the most votes will receive up to £50,000.

If they win, Somerset Waterways Development Trust promise to buy a boat to run short trips on the River Tone in the centre of Taunton, and longer community and educational trips on the Bridgewater & Taunton Canal.

The boat will be:

- run by trained volunteers
- designed to carry 12 passengers
- accessible for wheelchairs and buggies
- sustainably powered and silent running
- used to establish a rapport between navigation and wildlife interests

Voting will be by telephone. Lines will be open from 9am to midnight on the 25 November 2008. The number to call will be announced on the day, in the Daily Mirror and from 9am on the BIG Lottery website.

British Waterways supports this project.

• Calls can be make from anywhere in the UK and will cost 10p from a BT landline but other networks and mobile phones may cost more. After operating costs have been recouped, BIG lottery will donate any remaining phone revenue to charity. Up to 10 votes will be permitted from each phone number. Remember to ask permission from the person paying for the calls.