Cooling off on the UK's hottest day of 2024 with traditional punting in Cambridge

(12 Aug 2024)
UK HEATWAVE PUNTING
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 6:56
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cambridge UK - 12 August 2024
1. Various of people on 'punt' boats on the River Cam in Cambridge
2. Various of Niall Folbigg, Station Manager at Scudamore's Punting Company punting
3. Close of mooring chains on the edge of the River Cam next to Scudamore's mooring station
4. SOUNDBITE (English) - Niall Folbigg, Station Manager at Scudamore's Punting Company:
"Punting refers to the boats called punts which have flat bottoms and are propelled along using quants. Traditionally they were used to transport goods around areas that were flooded when the tide was out. Now, they're just used for leisure, recreation, tourism - a good chance for people to go out and explore the city of Cambridge."
5. Various of the Scudamore's Punting boarding station
6. Wide of people on 'punt' boats on the River Cam in Cambridge
7. SOUNDBITE (English) - Niall Folbigg, Station Manager at Scudamore's Punting Company:
"Punting is found in a couple of places around the UK. Probably most famously in Cambridge. Also in Oxford and also places like Canterbury as well. More internationally though we've seen videos and pictures of people punting in Australia, versions of it in Japan, other places in Indonesia, so Cambridge is the hub of it probably for the UK, but you do find forms of it around other places around the world."
8. Various of people on 'punt' boats on the River Cam in Cambridge
9. SOUNDBITE (English) - Niall Folbigg, Station Manager at Scudamore's Punting Company:
"In terms of people who come punting, it's a very very wide range. We have a fantastic local community who love going punting, especially on warm sunny days like this. So, we have lots and lots of people who come to Cambridge just for the punting as well. So, huge numbers in the tens of thousands every year from all over the world."
10. Various of people on 'punt' boats on the River Cam in Cambridge
11. Various of Charlie, Punt guide at Scudamore's Punting Company, punting
12. SOUNDBITE (English): Charlie McPartland, Punting tour guide at Scudamore's Punting Company:
"So essentially what punting involves is you're propelling the boat forwards using the punting pole known as a quant so as you can probably hear, as I'm lifting the pole out of the water and place it on the riverbed, it's quite gravelly, that means I'm able to push it through my hands and give the boat a propelling force forwards. And then when it comes to steering, it's all to do with the positioning of your pole, so if you're placing your pole on the right hand side of the boat and give it a nice firm push, and you'll see you'll start to steer to the right hand side, and take out again and then put it off to the left, and then I'll turn back to the left."
13. Various of people on 'punt' boats on the River Cam in Cambridge
14. SOUNDBITE (English): Rachel and Aidan (Rachel's son), tourists:
Rachel: "Hot! Trying to stay hydrated, but we just have one day so we just have to..."
Aidan: "Get everything in."
Rachel: "Get everything in, that's right."
15. Medium of people on 'punt' boats on the River Cam in Cambridge
16. SOUNDBITE (English): David Collis, Former Cambridge university student:
"Potentially the hottest day of the year, so plenty of hydration. This is water, not alcohol, and a hat which is appropriate I think given that we're going punting."
17. Medium of punt on River Cam
18. Wide of people sunbathing in Cambridge park
19. Various of Cambridge city centre
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