Canal & River Trust

  • VITAL CANAL REPAIRS begin in Loughborough

    VITAL CANAL REPAIRS begin in Loughborough

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    THE Canal & River Trust has started work to repair a popular stretch of canal running through the heart of Loughborough in Leicestershire. As part of its ongoing efforts to protect the nation’s waterways the charity is rebuilding a section of canal wall and towpath running under Little Moor Lane. The project will involve rebuilding…

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  • HAPPY CONFIDENT KIDS partner with CRT for well-being workshop

    HAPPY CONFIDENT KIDS partner with CRT for well-being workshop

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    Happy Confident Kids, has partnered with the Canal & River Trust to create innovative programs that enhance children’s emotional health through canal-side and water-based activities As part of this initiative, Happy Confident Kids has announced the launch of FREE Well-Being Workshops, designed to provide families with engaging outdoor experiences that promote mindfulness and connection with nature. The workshops…

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  • CANALS: at the heart of UK climate action

    CANALS: at the heart of UK climate action

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    A NEW report produced by the Canal & River Trust aims to show how vital the UK’s waterway network can be as the Government tries to tackle climate change. The 30-page Climate Adaptation Report spells out how important canals and waterways are and how they can be part of action against problems such as storms,…

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  • BOAT LICENSING to change forever?

    BOAT LICENSING to change forever?

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    AN INDEPENDENT review of boat licensing has been launched by the Canal & River Trust as it looks to futureproof the way it charges waterway users. A new commission, led by a lawyer, narrowboat resident and former civil servant, will start work this month and conclude in September.  It will look at whether boat licensing…

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  • BEHIND THE SCENES at Leeds River Lock 1

    BEHIND THE SCENES at Leeds River Lock 1

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    The Canal & River Trust’s winter maintenance programme is imperative to the upkeep of Britain’s canal network. Sally Clifford gets a glimpse behind the scenes at one of the charity’s repair and restoration projects. STEPPING down into a drained lock is a rare opportunity and certainly, a sight to behold. Concealed beneath the natural flow…

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  • WATERWAY WONDER gets a celebratory lift

    WATERWAY WONDER gets a celebratory lift

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    IT WILL be a year of celebrations for the Anderton Boat Lift as it marks 150 years since its opening. And it is hoped the anniversary will boost a massive £15m restoration project to ensure the engineering marvel’s future survival. The world’s first commercial boat lift opened in 1875 and the Canal & River Trust…

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  • THE END for itinerant boaters?

    THE END for itinerant boaters?

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    THE National Bargee Travellers Association claims a new review into licensing could see the end of travelling life on the UK’s waterways. The association, which represents 2000 boat owners who travel the waterways but don’t have a home mooring, believes the Canal & River Trust’s (CRT) new independent review of licensing may try to remove…

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  • DRONES USED for swing bridge inspection

    DRONES USED for swing bridge inspection

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    ENGINEERS used specialist drones to inspect the Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge in Cheshire as part of plans for summer repairs. The Canal & River Trust swung the bridge, which crosses the River Weaver, open twice during the inspection to allow engineers to see all parts of the bridge. Engineers used specialist drone equipment to help…

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  • £1.1M UPGRADE for Towpath

    £1.1M UPGRADE for Towpath

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    Work is under way on a project to improve a four-mile stretch of towpath on the northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal and make it more accessible for residents and visitors. Lucy Wood reports… THE Canal & River Trust worked with the Lancaster Canal Regeneration Partnership and Westmorland and Furness Council to secure funding for…

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  • MULTI-MILLION UPGRADE for reservoir

    MULTI-MILLION UPGRADE for reservoir

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    Lucy Wood reports… HILL Top Reservoir, known locally as Slaithwaite Reservoir, is being upgraded by the Canal & River Trust to meet safety standards and withstand climate change. Situated in the village of Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, the reservoir was opened 225 years ago. Renowned engineer Benjamin Outram built it to supply water…

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  • SAVED: ‘At risk’ Aqueduct

    SAVED: ‘At risk’ Aqueduct

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    AN AT-RISK aqueduct has been saved from falling into disrepair after Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal and River Trust in Wales, stepped in. The Grade-II Listed Aberbechan Aqueduct on the Montgomery Canal has had extensive repairs which should ensure its survival for the next 200 years.  The aqueduct carries the canal over Bechan Brook, a tributary…

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  • CLIMATE CHANGE: £85m bill

    CLIMATE CHANGE: £85m bill

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    THE Canal & River Trust spent £85m in the last financial year on waterway maintenance and repairs, emergency works following floods and storms, and upgrades to reservoirs. In its annual Boater Report, the charity revealed it spent a total of £208.6m in 2023/24 out of income of £237.3m. That included £49m on maintenance and repair…

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  • DREDGING: Completed by canal charity

    DREDGING: Completed by canal charity

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    BOATERS on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal should find navigation easier thanks to the completion of a six-week dredging programme by Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal and River Trust in Wales. The work saw in the region of 300 tonnes of sediment removed from four different locations along the canal. It is part of a comprehensive…

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  • POEM & ARTWORK inspired by canal

    POEM & ARTWORK inspired by canal

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    Lucy Wood investigates… THE Canal & River Trust charity and The Poetry Society have announced details of a new collaborative arts project inspired by the historic Sheffield & Tinsley Canal. Canal Works is a crowd-sourced poem by acclaimed poet Warda Yassin, and it has inspired a striking new installation by Sheffield-based artist Grace Visions, which…

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