Canal and River Trust

GROUNDING advice from RCR

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July 16, 2025

River Canal Rescue (RCR) is warning boaters about the risks of grounding after receiving 40+ calls in a six-week period, prompting a higher-than-usual number of call-outs. From 1 June to 11 July, rescue co-ordinators have been giving on the phone assistance to one/two people a day, and while many callers are then able to move…
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MUSICAL CELEBRATION on the Leeds & Liverpool

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July 12, 2025

A musical celebration on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal was part of Bradford being feted as the UK’s City of Culture this year. Sally Clifford beat a path to the West Yorkshire market town of Bingley… MELODIC electronic beats play out from the lock chamber. The creator of this gentle yet funky compilation sits at…
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LIFE SAVED thanks to Lock Keeper

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July 9, 2025

QUICK-thinking volunteers and staff from the Canal & River Trust sprang into action to help save the life of a canal cyclist who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest near the historic Bingley Five Rise Locks in West Yorkshire. The incident occurred on May 2, when 61-year-old Bingley-born resident Joost Smeele collapsed on Beck Lane, near…
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CRT: New Chief Executive

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July 2, 2025

Lucy Wood reports… WATERWAYS charity the Canal & River Trust has announced the appointment of Campbell Robb as its new chief executive. Mr Robb will join the charity on October 6, after six years leading the social justice charity Nacro as its chief executive. He is replacing Richard Parry, who joined the trust in 2013,…
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BRIDGE REPAIRS: Complete

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May 31, 2025

THE CANAL & River Trust has completed a five-month programme of works to refurbish Royal Oak Swing Bridge, which carries Woodhouse End Road over the Macclesfield Canal in Oakgrove, Cheshire. With the repairs requiring a road closure, the bridge reopened on April 25 following the work by the UK’s largest canal charity. The increased weight…
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SEDIMENT REMOVED by floating digger

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May 30, 2025

WATERWAYS charity Canal & River Trust is carrying out dredging on the Ashby Canal in Leicestershire as part of vital works to help ensure boaters can continue to use the centuries-old waterway. The dredging will see the charity remove around 7000 tons of sediment at various locations on the canal between Sutton Cheney and Market…
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VOLUNTEERS compile huge canal survey

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May 26, 2025

A VOLUNTEER-LED heritage survey of 2000 miles of canal network in England and Wales has started this year – the first in more than three decades. The work, which will take four years to complete, will create a vast digital database which will detail the history of the network and its associated structures. This is…
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EMERGENCY REPAIRS keeps longest canal lock flight closed

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May 10, 2025

URGENT repairs to the longest canal lock flight in Britain will keep the locks closed until August. The Canal & River Trust is undertaking urgent works, costing £500,000, to Tardebigge Top Lock on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal after investigations revealed that the 200-year-old lock wall is in need of restoration. The work is vital…
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HERITAGE HEROES AWARDS recognition for canal volunteer

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May 2, 2025

A NORTHAMPTONSHIRE canal volunteer is celebrating after receiving recognition in the Heritage Heroes Awards, organised by the Heritage Alliance. Kathryn Dodington, who has volunteered with national charity Canal & River Trust since 2014, has been selected as a runner-up in the Lifetime Achievement category of the awards, which recognise the invaluable role that volunteers play…
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CANAL could run dry

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April 28, 2025

THE Canal & River Trust in Wales, Glandŵr Cymru, has secured an emergency short-term supply of water from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) for the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal. But it says there may not being enough water to keep the canal open for boaters during the coming months. In its website Boaters’ Update, the…
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PUBLIC ASKED to share memories of West Midlands canals

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April 19, 2025

A PLEA has gone out for the public to share their memories and experiences of West Midlands canals to keep the history alive. The Canal & River Trust is launching a new heritage project, funded by the National Lottery, in the West Midlands and is calling on people to help make it happen. The trust…
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SCHOOL STUDENTS tackle climate change and flooding head on

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April 17, 2025

Students from two East Midlands schools tackled climate change and the dramatic affect it can have on waterways head on during a recent journalism workshop at the University of Lincoln. The group, from Cleethorpes Academy and John Spendluffe Technology College, created a story package on flooding which included a video, podcast, digital story and social…
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HAVE YOUR SAY on boat licensing, but be quick!

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April 14, 2025

BOATERS can have their say on a possible new water licensing system – but they need to be quick. Waterway users have until April 22 to voice their opinions as the Canal & River Trust looks future-proof its licensing. The charity wants to hear about the experiences that people have had and any changes they…
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£3M UPGRADE to tackle climate change

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April 2, 2025

AN EAST Lancashire reservoir which provides a vital supply of water to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal will shortly undergo a £3m upgrade to ensure it remains resilient to climate change and continues to meet safety standards. The Canal & River Trust project will involve essential maintenance to strengthen Rishton Reservoir, near Rishton, and increase…
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