News

Canalway Cavalcade goes virtual

Join us online on 1st-3rd May for the Virtual IWA Canalway Cavalcade.

While a physical event can’t take place this year, we wanted to capture the spirit of the London festival through a series of interactive digital activities. Over the bank holiday weekend we’ll be sharing pre-recorded videos and picture highlights featuring our favourite moments from past Canalway Cavalcades.

For the best virtual Cavalcade experience, follow us on social media: search @canalcavalcade on Twitter and Instagram, or visit facebook.com/ groups/IWACanalwayCavalcade. You can also share your favourite memories of previous festivals across social media using the hashtag #cavalcadememories.

IWA Canalway Cavalcade will return to London’s Little Venice on 30th April2nd May 2022.

For more information visit waterways.org.uk/cavalcade.

Little Venice will host IWA’s Canalway Cavalcade again in 2022.

Our Unique Heritage: shop our 75th anniversary range

Our industrial heritage is what makes our waterways so special. From towering aqueducts, deep tunnels, sprawling lock flights and iconic bridges, to the 200-year-old signposts, they all have a story to tell about the way our canals and rivers came about and how they have continued to be used throughout the centuries. Our brand-new 75th anniversary range of products features IWA’s exclusive ‘Our Unique Heritage’ design that celebrates the rich history and enduring spirit of the inland waterways.

Choose from a thermal drinks bottle, travel coffee cup, durable canvas tote, tea towel, T-shirt and notelets – all ideal as gifts for friends and family, or simply as a treat for yourself. All proceeds go towards supporting our campaigns.

Visit waterways.org.uk/shop or phone 01494 783453 to purchase items from the range now.

Date announced for AGM

Notice is hereby given that the Inland Waterways Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday 25th September 2021 at 11.30am. As there is continuing uncertainty around gatherings of over 30 people due to Covid-19, it is likely this will be a virtual event. Further details, including the meeting agenda, will be confirmed in due course and posted on the IWA website and Bulletin as soon as they are available.

IWA Guide to Greener Boating launches

Last year saw the announcement of IWA’s vision for sustainable boating and since then we have been exploring ways to help the inland waterways meet the UK’s zero carbon commitments. We have been working with Government and navigation authorities to make greener boating a priori .

We have now launched the IWA Guide to Greener Boating, which explains how dieselpowered boats can be more than 90% carbon neutral, provides practical tips and sets out our predictions for the future of boating on the inland waterways.

Read the latest about our research on alternative fuels on p26, and download the guide om waterways.org.uk/greenboating.

New reporting tool for waterway access issues

Our inland waterways are valuable green spaces enjoyed by millions. But there are places where waterways are di cult to access and use. We have launched the Waterways Watch initiative to help us get a good picture of the issues that a ect our country’s canals and rivers. We want to know about problems experienced by you as you use them. This could include places where you fi nd it tricky to access the towpath or move along it, or where paths don’t exist.

We also want to hear about places that need dredging – where boats are grounding in the middle of the channel, or experiencing di culties entering or exiting a lock due to channel depth. In addition, we want you to tell us about areas with problematic vegetation – this could be on a towpath, waterway, sight line or winding hole.

Evidence gained om surveys such as this allow us to build up a be er picture of issues we should be raising with navigation authorities, at a local and national level. It also enables us to gather evidence to lobby Government for be er funding for the inland waterways.

The Waterways Watch initiative follows on om our 2018 Gaptracker survey, where we asked boaters to identi areas on the UK’s waterways where facilities were missing or in poor condition. Hundreds of comments were received and followed up with nine di erent navigation authorities.

Please tell us about any problems you come across by completing our Waterways Watch form at waterways.org.uk/waterwayswatch. Urgent or emergency issues should be reported to the relevant navigation authori .

Help us to make our canals and rivers more accessible by reporting issues via our Waterways Watch form.

75th anniversary auction proceeds to benefit waterways heritage

We were overwhelmed by the support we received for IWA’s first live online auction on Monday 15th February. The event took place to celebrate the 75th anniversary of IWA’s inaugural meeting in 1946.

More than 50 lots went under the hammer of celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson, and raised more than £6,000. The funds will help support our work to protect waterways heritage up and down the country. We are working to provide more skilled volunteers in planning and heritage roles, and for more local authority and national Government officers to be aware of the unique value delivered by the rich history of our canals and rivers. The proceeds of the auction will help towards funding these and other ambitious plans.

A popular lot was the behind-the-scenes tour and blacksmithing experience at Tooley’s Boatyard, raising £200. Tooley’s is particularly significant as it was the place where IWA co-founder Tom Rolt converted his working craft Cressy into a pleasure-boat prior to writing Narrow Boat, the book that inspired the formation of our charity.

Further star lots included a Harley Crossley signed painting of a traditional narrowboat, which went for £580, and original artwork of a kingfisher by Steve Owen, fetching £360.

Thank you to our generous supporters and partners for donating lots and taking part in the event.

Star lot: this painting fetched £580 at IWA’s 75th anniversary online auction in February.

IWA Trustee Appointments in 2021

In 2020, IWA moved to a new process for selecting trustees to sit on its Board, in line with Charity Commission guidelines. These require charities to consider “the skills and experience the current trustees have, and whether there are any gaps”. This prompted trustees to conclude that a more diverse Board with a wider range of identified skills, experience and perspectives was needed to ensure the most effective delivery of the charity’s objectives.

In 2021, IWA intends to continue with a similar approach, taking into consideration comments from members regarding last year’s process, and will shortly be seeking applications from candidates who demonstrate the experience and skill sets that will be needed over the next three years to complement the existing trustees on the Board.

With four trustees’ terms ending this year, there are four trustee positions available to be filled. Further details regarding the trustee application and selection process will be available from the start of May. Applications will need to be returned by 5pm on Friday 11th June. The selection panel will meet in mid- to late-June with applicants being notified of their proposed appointment by Friday 2nd July. The panel’s proposed appointees will be presented to members at the AGM, and members’ confirmation of the appointments will be sought. New appointees will commence their formal, legal role as trustees after the IWA AGM at the end of September 2021.

We welcome applications from people from all walks of life as we look to enhance the diversity of the Board and will be further promoting these trustee positions on our website, our Bulletin email newsletter, as well as through wider advertising.

Next steps: information on the application process, which will detail the skill sets needed and final details of the process to be followed, will be available on the IWA website from Saturday 1st May. It can also be obtained from IWA’s Chesham Office – email iwa@waterways.org.uk or write to Trustee Applications, IWA, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA.

GET OUT ON THE WATER, SAYS APPGW

Getting more people out on the water can save Government money in the long term, MPs were told at the latest meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways (APPGW). Swimming, sailing and canoeing were among the recreational uses of the waterways discussed by members at their latest meeting with waterway stakeholders, held on 2nd March 2021.

Michael Fabricant MP, chair of the APPGW, led the online meeting, which was attended by MPs and peers, officials from Defra and representatives of many waterway organisations and navigation authorities.

The three speakers – Ben Seal from British Canoeing, Howard Pridding from RYA and Simon Griffiths from Outdoor Swimming – each gave a ten-minute presentation with common themes arising out of all of them. All three had observed a significant increase in people using unpowered craft and swimming in rivers during 2020 as a result of the lockdown and restrictions on other activities.

During the lively discussion that followed, a number of key issues were identified, including the potential savings to Government in healthcare costs if more people were encouraged to take up active participation in watersports. For this to be realised, increased access to the waterways for a wider and more diverse audience is essential, along with better water quality and safety advice.

The meeting concluded with the APPGW members present agreeing to follow up these key issues with the relevant Government departments.

The APPGW, whose secretariat is provided by IWA, also held its AGM by video meeting earlier on the same day, with 14 MPs and Lords being appointed as officers of the Group.

IWA Festival of Water to go ahead in August

Join us at the IWA Festival of Water at Perdiswell Park in Worcester over the August bank holiday weekend, 28th30th August 2021.

Originally planned for last year to coincide with the anniversary of the very first meeting of our co-founders at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, this will be a highlight of our 75th anniversary celebrations.

The free-to-attend festival will feature craft stalls, food outlets, a real ale bar, an entertainment marquee with live music and dance performances. Family-friendly activities will include children’s rides, a chance to have a go at driving a digger with our Waterway Recovery Group, and fishing sessions. On the water will be coracle demonstrations, an electric punt, and a huge display of lovely model boats from Little Radford Model Boat Club, which will form this year’s flotilla of illuminated craft.

Entry to the festival and car parking are free, and you can book a mooring or campsite pitch for just £35 for the whole weekend, including evening entertainment. More information is available online at waterways.org.uk/ festivalofwater.

Join us at Perdiswell Park on 28th-30th August for the IWA Festival of Water.

The spirit of restoration

Own this exclusive ten-yearold, private cask, Islay singlemalt Waterway Recovery Group Restoration Whisky, and help to bring derelict waterways back to life.

The barrel was generously donated by WRG stalwart Harry Watts. The whisky comes from the Bruichladdich Distillery and has been maturing in a Rivesaltes Hogshead Cask. It has been bottled at ten years old at a strength of 62.7%. Bruichladdich is a self-styled progressive Hebridean distiller dedicated to producing worldclass whisky in the most sustainable way it can.

There are only 278 bottles of this lovingly crafted whisky available. All funds raised from the sale of the drink will be invested in the work of WRG, making sure that it can continue to support canal and river restorations in the future.

The whisky is available to buy for £95 per bottle from waterways.org.uk/shop (price includes delivery).

Sales of this limitededition whisky will support the work of WRG.