Canal & River Trust

  • Canal & River Trust announces changes to executive team

    Canal & River Trust announces changes to executive team

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    Canal & River Trust has announced a streamlined executive team structure that is coming into effect from today, 1 July 2026, as the charity accelerates plans to strengthen the organisation for the future. The changes, first outlined in April, respond to a more challenging operating environment, marked by funding pressures, rising costs, climate change and…

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  • Two Great Reasons Combine to Get People Fishing This Summer

    Two Great Reasons Combine to Get People Fishing This Summer

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    wo major trade-backed initiatives – Take a Friend Fishing and National Fishing Month – combine this summer to provide even more compelling reasons to get out on the bank and enjoy some fishing. Throughout the summer holidays, Take A Friend Fishing (organised by the Angling Trades Association) provides the perfect excuse to grab a mate…

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  • Sound of music comes to canalside cafe

    Sound of music comes to canalside cafe

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    A family-run cafe in north Shropshire will ring to the sound of music at a special event being staged as part of its fight back against the closure of a canal. The Lockside Café at Grindley Brook, near Whitchurch, is staging a music day on July 12, bringing together four sets of musicians for an…

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  • Major repair work underway on 180-year-old Worcester lock

    Major repair work underway on 180-year-old Worcester lock

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    The Canal & River Trust is carrying out essential repairs to Diglis Small Lock on the River Severn in Worcester. The top and bottom oak gates of the 180-year-old lock are being repaired as part of ongoing work to maintain and improve the structure for boaters navigating the river.  Conservation work to the lock’s Victorian…

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  • Rapid response reopens Lock 5 at Camp Hill Locks in Birmingham

    Rapid response reopens Lock 5 at Camp Hill Locks in Birmingham

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    Waterways charity, Canal & River Trust, has been able to quickly restore navigation at Lock 5 on the Camp Hill Locks, part of the Grand Union Canal in Birmingham, after a damaged lock gate temporarily brought boat movements to a halt. The issue was reported when a lock gate became dislodged after the lock gate…

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  • Tree strike at Wolseley Bridge

    Tree strike at Wolseley Bridge

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    On Saturday 27 June, River Canal Rescue engineer, Jake Mullen, was called to bridge 70 (Wolseley Bridge, near Rugeley, Stafford) on the Trent & Mersey Canal, after an oak tree crashed onto nb Marcellus. The tree had fallen from the opposite side of the towpath, landing on the boat, causing major damage and blocking the…

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  • Historic Cheshire canal bridge reopens after vehicle strike repair

    Historic Cheshire canal bridge reopens after vehicle strike repair

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    Canal & River Trust engineers have completed heritage-sensitive repairs to Grade II Listed Nanney’s Bridge, allowing the B5074 near Worleston to reopen. Waterways charity, Canal & River Trust, has reopened the Grade II Listed Nanney’s Bridge in Cheshire after completing repairs following a vehicle strike. Built between 1827 and 1833, to a Thomas Telford design,…

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  • Lasting tribute to respected canal chairman

    Lasting tribute to respected canal chairman

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    FAMILY, friends and volunteers gathered to honour Norman Cornwell, a canal champion whose legacy continues to shape the Erewash waterways. ABOUT 60 people met at Langley Mill, Derbyshire, for a ceremony commemorating the life of the late chairman of the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association. A respected figure in the local waterways community, Mr…

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  • Invasive weeds costing canals more than £1m a year as volunteers step in

    Invasive weeds costing canals more than £1m a year as volunteers step in

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    This Invasive Species Week (22–28 June), Canal & River Trust is calling on people to help protect their local waterway by joining the volunteers who help keep the nation’s canals clear by removing fast‑growing aquatic weeds.  Every year, volunteers join floating pennywort removal parties and “balsam bashing” sessions – removing invasive Himalayan balsam – along the…

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  • Red weather warning across canals

    Red weather warning across canals

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    A message from the Canal & River Trust With temperatures forecast to hit 38-40 degrees across parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday, the Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for extreme heat. We’re asking everyone on the water to take extra care and help protect yourselves, others and the canal…

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  • Canal & River Trust marks six months of progress on Whitchurch breach repairs

    Canal & River Trust marks six months of progress on Whitchurch breach repairs

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    Waterways charity Canal & River Trust is marking six months since the significant breach on the Llangollen Canal near Whitchurch, reflecting on the extensive programme of works already completed and outlining the next steps to repair the damage. Since the incident in December 2025, engineers from the Trust and its infrastructure partner Kier, have developed…

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  • Showcasing the power of volunteering

    Showcasing the power of volunteering

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    From thousands of hours to hands-on enthusiasm, volunteers at the Canal & River Trust are fine examples of what working together can achieve. This is the penultimate article in a series about the teams and individuals who were honoured at the trust’s annual awards ceremony, this time focusing on the Wales and South West region.…

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  • Paddlers invited to explore historic Standedge waterways

    Paddlers invited to explore historic Standedge waterways

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    Visitors to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal are being given the chance to get out on the water as the Canal & River Trust launches a programme of paddlesport sessions at Standedge. The guided activities include canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding, allowing participants to explore one of the region’s most distinctive waterways under the supervision of qualified…

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  • From revival to ruin? IWA presses CRT over delays on Wendover Arm

    From revival to ruin? IWA presses CRT over delays on Wendover Arm

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    The Inland Waterways Association is actively campaigning to resolve the ongoing issues affecting the Wendover Arm, following significant delays and restrictions imposed on its restoration. For many years, the Wendover Canal Trust has led extensive work to restore the previously dry section of the Wendover Arm between Little Tring and Drayton Beauchamp. This has included…

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