What can a gift in your Will do?

You can see the impact of gifts left to IWA in Wills everywhere you look when you visit canals and rivers across England, Wales and Scotland.

open up miles of waterways

Waterway restoration projects across the country were given a boost thanks to a legacy from waterway expert and engineer, Tony Harrison, which will open up to six miles of derelict waterway to navigation.

The restoration of two locks on the Pocklington Canal received £106,400 from the legacy and returned two miles of the waterway to navigation for the first time in nearly a century. A lock on the River Stour has been rebuilt with the help of an £8,600 award, opening up 1.75 miles of navigable river to boats. £15,000 allowed engineering works to be carried out on the Cromford Canal to help regulate water levels and enable a trip boat to raise funds for further restoration. engage & inspire local communities

Communities have been involved with innovative projects along the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal, thanks to a £125,610 legacy left by John James Faulkner.

More than six projects have been made possible by this legacy, including a new canal inspired mural depicting ‘Nature Through the Seasons’ underneath the M1 motorway bridge. The mural was created with the help of pupils from Rothersthorpe Primary School and assisted by members of Blisworth Art Group.

The legacy also funded a mosaic trail, which now links the 17 locks along the five mile length of the Canal. Each mosaic pictures a letter and together they make a word, crafted by local school children and installed by volunteers.

Unlock Investment

This major restoration project included rebuilding the three Hanbury Locks, which was supported by IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group. His legacy helped fund the construction work, towpath improvements and the enormous lock gates. It also helped unlock a £10m completion package for the rest of the stretch. The reopening of the waterway was the culmination of over 30 years’ work by IWA to promote the restoration of the Droitwich Canals.