As we enter a new year it’s timely to look back on the progress of the Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) campaign in 2023 and forward to our plans for 2024. But firstly, a big thank you to all our supporters for helping us achieve so much in our first six months. We wouldn’t be here without you.
What’s our message?
A reminder of FBW’s message, which is that Britain’s 5,000 miles of canals and navigable rivers are a highly valued national asset for boaters and non-boaters alike, and must be safeguarded for future generations to come.
Our inland waterways 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.
What did we achieve in 2023?
FBW is continuing to bring waterway supporters together and we now have over 110 organisations as members. This includes national bodies such as the Angling Trust, the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs, British Canoeing, British Marine, British Rowing, the Commercial Boat Operators Association, the Heritage Alliance, the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), the National Association of Boat Owners and the Royal Yachting Association, as well as a host of other national and local waterway-related organisations and businesses of all sizes.
In 2023 we held three campaign cruises, in Birmingham (13 August), Gloucester (30 September) and past the Palace of Westminster on the Thames (14 November). All were well-reported and together they have substantially raised awareness of the challenges facing our canals and rivers and the need for action.
And of course we launched the FBW petition, which thanks to you is now well past 48,000 signatures.
What are we planning for 2024?
Our plans for 2024 include an important weekend of action over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend (4 to 6 May 2024) to highlight the impact of insufficient funding for Britain’s inland waterways.
The weekend of action is planned to take place across the country on waterways managed by different inland navigation authorities. It will coincide with IWA’s annual Canalway Cavalcade at Little Venice in London, and will culminate in a Campaign Cruise past the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday 8 May. Parliamentarians will be encouraged to view the event and express their support for the continued maintenance of the waterways to enable them to keep on delivering economic, health, environmental and well-being benefits.
We would appreciate as many supporters as possible helping to publicise these events and attending them. Watch out for further details.
Spreading the word
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 your contacts 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.