Hackney Boating Families Association would like to appeal for your help and support.

We are a collection of young families living aboard our boats on the water in Hackney. We are raising our children on the river in the Lea valley surrounded by open space and the amazing diversity, which East London has to offer.

Our members are employed in London working in many areas, from construction to teaching through to creative arts and counseling.

For years we have been quietly coming and going adding our part to Hackneys rich colorful character.

We at Hackney Boating Families firmly believe that the rivers, parks, waterways and green spaces should be available to the local community, not just purely for enjoyment of property developers and waterside apartments.

The Canal and River authorities are slowly planning to develop mooring sites along the lower Lea, and to auction them to the highest bidder in the next few years.

As you may have noticed, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of boats casually mooring and using the waterways especially in Hackney, Homerton and Clapton.

We are finding it increasingly difficult to find quiet, safe (from fast bikes for example) places to moor our boats, whilst still maintaining links with our schools and community.

We desperately need your local support to prove to the Canal and Rivers Trust, that responsible boating families are welcome and have a place in this neighborhood, without threat of eviction.