Event: Fund Britain’s Waterways Westminster Campaign Cruise
Date: Wednesday 7th May 2025
Location: Westminster Bridge
Time: The flotilla will cruise to the Palace of Westminster on a rising tide, arriving at the Palace from 10.30 a.m. High Water Westminster Bridge is at 11.00 a.m.
Why: A large flotilla of boats will be travelling in convoy up the River Thames and standing off the Palace of Westminster to draw the attention of Parliament to the Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) campaign.
Launched in 2023, the campaign is in response to inadequate funding and the deteriorating state of Britain’s canals and navigable rivers. The campaign currently calls on Government to pause and review vital waterways as part of their Spending Review.
Parliamentarians, including members of the Waterways All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) are invited to view the event from Westminster’s terrace.
Over 30 boats from various parts of the country will convene as part of the flotilla. Despite challenges of emergency repairs and a pollution clean-up on canals along the way, the boaters are determined to help FBW gain the attention of Parliament.
The flotilla, including privately owned narrowboats and commercial working boats draped in Fund Britain’s Waterways banners, will pass under Westminster Bridge after travelling upstream along the Thames from Limehouse Basin. The boats will then stand off the Palace of Westminster for around 10 minutes and collectively sound their horns to draw the attention of Parliament and the general public to the need to safeguard the future of Britain’s inland waterways.
Robert Parton, President of British Marine, a founding member organisation of FBW, said: “This is a spectacular way of taking the message to our parliamentarians: Britain’s inland waterways are a truly national asset that not only underpin the livelihoods of many rural communities, but the industry’s supply chains, and the tourism generated by Britain’s waterways, support nearly 300,000 jobs across our nation – safeguarding our waterways is critical to not only the environment but also the economy.”
