What a surprise, I have only just seen this topic !
As a family we found Sunny Valley in the 1980's almost derelict and used as a platform to get on to a Tourist Trip Boat . We brought it back to Stoke Bruerne, in a very sorry state, where we set about restoring her to her former glory as she appeared in Painted Boats. As it was a Black and white film the colours presented a bit of a problem, but knowing the colours of the 'Barlows' Boats and where it was last docked, (Braunston, near Daventry) we soon established the style of the Roses and Castles, each area having it own brush marks, and the order of the original colours of the diamonds on the bow. Getting these diamond colours in the right order, was most important, if wrong the old boaters would never forgive us !
When restored, to how she looked in the film, which was taken at Stoke Bruerne, 'Sunny Valley' was moored outside the Museum as a floating exhibition. During our extensive checking of records we discovered that the museum had the wrong Birmingham registration on their mock up cabin of Sunny Valley in the Museum !
The man that painted the decorative Roses and Castles was Brian Collings, who lives in Stoke Bruerne. Because he painted the boat, we insisted he painted a picture which was printed as a limited edition. This was the first picture that Brian had ever had printed, and he has gone on to paint many more pictures. I have the original oil painting that was used for the prints along with several other of his originals. my favourite being 'Quiet Corner'. But, I have to say, the original Sunny Valley large oil picture, is far better than the prints could ever show.
Sunny Valley when restored attended the Easter Gathering at Ellsmere Port for her inaugural interduction, where she received an excellent welcome and pride of place. But first she had to get through Braunston and we had Brian Collings on board who had painted the diamonds, and the roses, and the Castles. He was still worried he might have made a mistake in the order of the coloured diamonds, but he needn't have worried, Arthur Bray gave him the thumbs up, as we passed him, and Brian had a grin on his face for the rest of the journey ! However, on leaving Ellsmere, Sunny Valley disgraced herself by leaving very early on the Sunday morning. It wasn't really her fault, David Blagrove was keen to leave at Sparrow Fart, and where the motor boat went, Sunny Valley followed ! It took a bit of shuffling, and woke lots of people up. I was still sound asleep in the bed 'Ole of Sunny Valley, listening to the steady lap of water around the hull .......
Later she attended the Grand National at Coventry where she won the Cockerel Trophy for the Best Turned out Working Boat. Unfortunately, I had to return to work very early on the Saturday, in the retail shops and missed her receiving the award. But upon returning home after an exhausting Saturday saw her on the TV. What a wonderful surprise, but the BBC along with the exhibition organisers had broken into the cabin, they wanted pictures of a real boatman's cabin. There on the TV was my boatman's bed as I had climbed out of it early that morning, all ruffled and chaotic, not thinking to put it all tidily away. I've heard of never washing your dirty linen in public, but showing it on TV ? I was somewhat mortified !!
Many happy memories of Sunny Valley who spent a lot of time at Gas Street Basin, Birmingham, with Kestrel ex FMC 1928. Kestrel is still in the family owned by my son.
Margaret Cummings (formerly O'Callaghan)
