Project Name: Bramble
Type: Narrowboat Restoration & Social Impact Accommodation
Status: Acquired and preparing for assessment phase
Location: London canal network (initial mooring: King’s Cross area)
About Bramble Bramble is the newest addition to The Hideout Collective fleet — a well-used, well-loved narrowboat with a strong shell, a lot of character, and the sort of charm that only accumulates after a long life on the cut. She’s rough around the edges in all the right ways, making her a perfect candidate for our signature restorative chao
Purpose & Vision Bramble will become a Hideout space with a mission:
- to train and employ men with lived experience of homelessness and addiction,
- to demonstrate the power of hands-on restoration as recovery,
- to become a bookable, beautiful, functional escape that funds further social impact work.
In short: a floating recovery-powered retreat.
What Makes Bramble Special
- A compact footprint ideal for quick turnarounds and clear training milestones
- An authentic lived-in history that adds soul (and the occasional surprise)
- A strong structure ready for modernisation under 2025 UK standards
- A project that complements Jonge Jan while standing proudly on its own keel
Planned Restoration Focus
- Hull and systems assessment
- Warm, simple, Hideout-flavoured interior rebuild
- Modern safety, electrical, and sustainability upgrades
- Exterior repainting and branding in line with The First Group’s unified heart-theme identity
Social Impact
Every hour spent on Bramble will create training, confidence, direction, and a sense of achievement for the men we support.
Every night booked on Bramble funds the next person’s journey.
Where second chances build escapes — one boat at a time.