The Boaters' Christian Fellowship

Meet a Member

Hazel Dilnot

Boat Name: Dilly Dally (now sold).

Hazel was born in Sheffield and attended Grange Grammar School. She then went to Bishop Lonsdale Colleg of Education in Derby, training to become a Primary School Teacher. Her first post was at the Croft Nursery School in Nottingham. She shared a house with two college friends in Newthorpe (near Eastwood). Attending the Hilltop AOG Church, she met Alan. They married and had 2 sons, Matthew & Thomas. Together they worked in the Sunday school and ran a children's meeting for 14 years. Retiring from the children's work in 1995 they sought the Lord for what He wanted them to do. Little did they realise that God had already led them into their new ministry. This was the time that the BCF started. The rest, as they say, is history.

Hazel always attended the local Methodist Church with her Mum, growing up through the Sunday School and Youth. At 15, she attended The Sheffield Youth Squash (similar to Youth for Christ) with some school friends and the music teacher from school. There she heard the Gospel preached and when the appeal was made she responded. At College she started attending the Elim Church with a friend and it was there that she was baptised both in water and the Holy Spirit.

It was a holiday in Scotland that got the family involved in boating. They hired a day boat on Loch Lomond, enjoying it so much that the following year they decided to have a boating holiday, hiring a boat from Ely on the Ouse. After that, they either hired or borrowed boats, until in 1992 they bought a 23' Springer Water Bug shell, which they kept on their garden whilst Alan fitted it out. "Dilly" was launched in July 1993. They sold their second boat, Dilly Dally, in 2016 after 26 years of boating. However, they still remain members and hope to hire a boat now and again with their family. You don't have to have a boat to belong to the BCF!