Welcome
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s I write this, we are on the cusp of a total relaxation of the Covid regulations that have impacted our day-today lives for over a year. This is hopeful news for the waterways sector that has been compromised by the pandemic, and for everyone who enjoys our canals and rivers. I was fortunate to get away in April for a week-long boat trip along the south Oxford and Grand Union canals with my wife, Amanda. I am forever in awe of the many wonders of the waterways as they wind through rural and urban landscapes. At the same time, I am reminded of how vulnerable a lot of the historic bridges and buildings that make our waterways unique truly are. It was a great holiday, but I also had some valuable conversations along the way. We stopped off at the legendary Tooley’s Boatyard and I had a great catchup with the team there. Tooley’s is featured in part two of our Heritage Report, which looks at examples of waterways history that have been lost or saved. Following that I met up with my local MP – Victoria Prentis. You can read more about the trip on page 31. In May I had a positive face-to-face meeting at Alrewas with Michael Fabricant MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways. This was followed by a successful APPGW meeting on living afloat where parliamentarians were urged to support residential boaters. We are seeing lots of critical work taking place to raise awareness of climate change and the importance of being more sustainable. Our waterways have their part to play, and we have expert volunteers leading the charge on greener boating and making waves across the sector – pioneering research into alternative propulsion methods, influencing decision makers and changing hearts and minds. Our volunteers will be at the Crick Boat Show on 20th-22nd August representing
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IWA as part of the greener boating sessions. If you’re at the event, please do make sure you pop along to our stand to say hello. IWA Festival of Water takes place the following bank holiday weekend in August along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at Perdiswell Park. This will be the first time so many of our volunteers and supporters will be together in one place for nearly two years, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone. In the last issue of Waterways, we put a call out for new trustees to join our board. We had four vacancies and 12 exceptional applications, including two candidates standing for reappointment. I was delighted that there were so many strong candidates, and the selection panel certainly had an unenviable task in proposing who would fill the vacancies. I would like to thank members of the panel, Liz Payne, Mike Sumner, Ray Alexander, Helen Gardner, Paul Strudwick and Dave Chapman, who proposed that Hannah Sterritt and Rebecca Hughes be appointed as new trustees, and that Sir Robert Atkins and John Butler be reappointed to the role. Their skills and experience will be invaluable to the governance of the Association. Members will be asked to approve the appointments at the AGM in September, and further information on the candidates will be shared on our website as soon as possible. Stepping down this year are Nicki Schiessel-Harvey, Roger Stocker and Helen Whitehouse. On behalf of the Association, I would like to share my heartfelt thanks for their commitment and contribution to the board. Volunteers’ week took place in June, and we thanked our volunteers and shared some of their stories on social media. With the easing of restrictions, we have seen the return of more work parties across the country. Whether clearing invasive Himalayan balsam, repainting
lock gates or picking up litter, this work is vital and showcases contributions our volunteers make to improve the waterways environment. But there is much that continues behind the scenes to campaign for waterways at a local and national level. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Association, whether in leadership and governance roles, or on the ground, and I would like to take the opportunity to say a big thank you again for everything that our volunteers do. In this issue you can see how our expert volunteers influence all areas of our charity’s work. Alongside this issue, you will find our highlights report for 2020, which illustrates the impact the Association has had and the resilience of our volunteers in a challenging year. I hope you will be energised and inspired by this and perhaps consider taking on a role yourself. Whether you support IWA as a member, donor or a volunteer, thank you.
Paul Rodgers, IWA National Chair
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