Over £500 million of taxpayer funding supports the Canal & River Trust. Public waterways should support youth angling, wellbeing and community coaching.

The Canal & River Trust (CRT) manages over 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across England and Wales.

These waterways are part of the nation’s shared heritage and are maintained with significant public funding.

Since becoming a charity in 2012, the Canal & River Trust has received over £500 million of taxpayer funding through government grant agreements to maintain and manage the canal network.

This funding is provided on the basis that the waterways are managed for public benefit.

Angling is one of the most accessible outdoor activities on these waterways and has been part of canal culture for generations.

Fishing offers enormous benefits for young people and communities, including:

• improving mental health and wellbeing
• encouraging time outdoors and connection with nature
• teaching patience, responsibility and environmental respect
• creating positive community engagement

Across the UK, thousands of volunteers and qualified coaches give up their time to help introduce the next generation to angling.

However, increasing concerns are being raised about restrictions placed on angling coaching and youth events on Canal & River Trust waters.

In many cases, independent coaches and community clubs are unable to run coaching sessions on CRT waterways unless the activity forms part of the Trust’s own “Let’s Fish” programme.

While Let’s Fish can provide a valuable short introduction to angling, it is typically designed as a brief taster session lasting around one hour.

For many young people, this type of introductory session does not provide a clear long-term pathway into angling, and in many areas of the UK there is no structured follow-on route that helps young anglers progress beyond the initial experience.

Learning to fish safely and responsibly takes time.

Proper angling education includes understanding:

• water safety
• fish care and conservation
• responsible tackle use
• environmental awareness
• safe fishing practices
• the responsibilities anglers have in protecting waterways

Young anglers should also learn that fishing is not just about catching fish — it is about looking after the environment and the waterways we enjoy.

Anglers are often the first people to notice problems on rivers and canals, such as pollution, fish in distress, damaged banks, invasive species or environmental hazards.

Teaching young people these responsibilities helps ensure the next generation understands how to:

• respect and protect wildlife
• care for fish and aquatic ecosystems
• report environmental issues when they arise
• help keep waterways safe and clean

This kind of knowledge is essential if we want future generations to become responsible stewards of Britain’s waterways.

These skills cannot realistically be taught in a short introductory session.

Many clubs and qualified coaches run structured coaching programmes over months or even years, gradually teaching young anglers the knowledge and skills needed to fish safely and independently.

Public waterways should support this kind of long-term youth development, not restrict it.

Given the level of public funding provided to the Canal & River Trust, it is reasonable to expect that waterways are accessible for community-led coaching and youth engagement.

This petition calls on the Canal & River Trust and the UK Government to:

1. Allow qualified angling coaches and clubs to run youth coaching sessions on CRT waterways.
2. Ensure that youth angling opportunities on public waterways include clear development pathways beyond short introductory sessions.
3. Recognise the mental health and wellbeing benefits that angling provides for young people.
4. Ensure that publicly funded waterways remain accessible for community sport, volunteering and youth education.

Angling has helped generations of people connect with nature, develop life skills and improve their wellbeing.

Public waterways should encourage the next generation to experience these benefits — not create barriers to them.

If you believe publicly funded waterways should support youth angling, mental health, and community coaching, please sign and share this petition.

Britain’s canals and rivers are more than historic infrastructure — they are living environments that support wildlife, recreation, community wellbeing and education.

Anglers play an important role in this ecosystem. Every day, thousands of anglers act as eyes and ears on the waterways, often being the first to spot pollution incidents, distressed fish, invasive species, damaged banks or environmental hazards.

Teaching young people to fish responsibly helps create a new generation that understands how to protect and respect these waterways, not just use them.

When the Canal & River Trust receives hundreds of millions of pounds in public funding, it carries a responsibility to ensure these waterways genuinely serve the public interest.

Public waterways should support community sport, youth education, environmental stewardship and mental wellbeing.

Preventing qualified coaches and community clubs from helping young people learn these skills on publicly funded waterways risks losing an opportunity to inspire the next generation of responsible waterway users.

The canal network belongs to the public — and it should remain a place where communities can come together to learn, protect nature, and pass on the traditions and responsibilities of angling.

If you believe publicly funded waterways should support youth angling, environmental responsibility and mental wellbeing, please sign and share this petition.