Thank you so much for your support of the Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) campaign!
We now have more than 45,000 signatures on this petition and I wanted to remind you of our key messages, update you on our progress and alert you to the Westminster Campaign Cruise on 14 November.
What’s our message?
FBW’s message is that Britain’s canals and rivers are a highly valued national asset for boaters and non-boaters and must be safeguarded for future generations to come. They are enjoyed by millions of people each year and their associated businesses provide crucial employment for communities up and down the land. Many millions of hours of volunteer effort have already gone into restoring and protecting them and volunteers across the country are continuing this work. However, without sustainable funding arrangements for the future all this is being put at risk.
How are we doing?
FBW is continuing to bring waterway supporters together and we now have over 100 organisations as members. National bodies such as the Angling Trust, British Canoeing, British Marine, the Inland Waterways Association and the Royal Yachting Association are lending their support, as well as a host of other waterway-related organisations and businesses of all sizes.
We have already held campaign cruises in Birmingham (13 August) and Gloucester (30 September). Both of these attracted widespread coverage and boosted public awareness and support for the campaign. Now we are busy finalising plans for the next campaign cruise.
Join us for the Westminster campaign cruise, 14 November
The need to Fund Britain’s Waterways will be heard from the River Thames on 14/11 at 1411 hours as boats gather off the Palace of Westminster to show their concerns.
A flotilla of around 20 boats dressed with Fund Britain’s Waterways banners, including privately owned narrowboats and commercial working boats, will pass under Westminster Bridge after travelling upstream along the Thames from West India Dock.
Waved on by supporters from the bridge, the boats will lay off the Palace of Westminster for around 10 minutes and collectively sound their horns to draw the attention of Parliament and the general public to the need to safeguard the future of Britain’s inland waterways.
We need as many supporters on Westminster Bridge as possible, so please do come and join us if you can. For more details see the FBW website.
Keep making a noise!
In the meantime, please continue to use every possible means, including social media channels, to help raise awareness of #FundBritainsWaterways.
Lastly, would you help us get more signatures by sharing this petition with ten other people on social media? Facebook groups, SMS chats, Twitter, email and WhatsApp all work well. The more people sign, the more difficult it will be for us to be ignored!
THANK YOU for supporting this cause.