Making new Friends on the towpath

Below, Josh explains why so many people choose to support our waterways through regular monthly gifts.

It’s a grey, cloudy day on the Kennet & Avon Canal. The water is still, reeds sway in the breeze. Josh, dressed in his overcoat and distinctive blue shirt, takes in the impressive Devizes flight at Caen Hill; he smiles at a man walking his dog along the pretty paths towards open countryside and shares a friendly ‘Hello’.

Josh is a team leader for face-to-face fundraising covering the Monmouthshire & Brecon, Gloucester & Sharpness and Kennet & Avon canals. His passion for canals is infectious.

Inspired by his own personal connection to our waterways, he wanted to play a part in keeping canals alive for everyone to enjoy now and in the future. “I was struggling with my mental health,” he says. “One of the few things that got me out of the house was cycling along my local canal. It really helped me out of my slump. The canal has always been a bit of a go-to for me; it’s so lovely and peaceful, such a beautiful space.”

In a typical week, a conversation with Josh and a shared love of canals can mean he signs up between five to ten new Friends, who all give a monthly gift. It all starts with a warm smile and a few friendly words. “I’ve got a fairly standard way of approaching people,” he tells us. “I walk over and simply ask: ‘Can I tell you a little bit about our lovely canals?’

“A really important part of my role is to make people aware of the breadth of work we do by asking questions, to get them thinking about what’s involved in maintaining 2,000 miles of canals and the cost of doing so. Many people underestimate this or assume the support is just there.”

Josh often shares how, as the charity that looks after canals, we also look after the reservoirs that feed them. We keep the locks, bridges and structures maintained that keep them flowing. And we protect our canal heritage and help wildlife thrive.

Josh knows first-hand just how tough it can be to maintain our waterways. And with growing threats from droughts, storms and extreme weather, caring for our ageing network gets harder and more costly every year.

Monthly gifts from Friends help us face these challenges with confidence, and for Josh, conversations on the towpath are a chance to explain why reliable, regular support matters so much. “The steady income we get from Friends each month is so important,” he says. “It helps massively, particularly with the bigger projects that have a long lead time. Without it we simply couldn’t plan so far in advance or undertake so much of our work.”

Most of the people Josh meets are regular canal visitors like you – dog walkers, joggers, and cyclists who enjoy spending time on the towpath. Some become familiar faces, like Morgan, one of Josh’s first ever sign‑ups. “I see him pretty much every time I'm on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal,” says Josh. “He always asks, ‘How's it going? How many signups do you have? How's the team doing?’ He's really invested in us doing well, which is just wonderful.”

Over the next few years, we hope to grow our Friends community, and Josh, for one, believes our goal is within reach. “Around 10 million people use our towpaths every month,” he says. “It’s a huge amount, and if just one per cent of them signed up, we'd reach our target easily. The whole point of being a Friend is because you love canals. And through the magazine, newsletters and invites to exclusive events you get as a Friend, we bring people closer to their passion, keeping them updated on our work and making them part of a thriving community.”

After speaking with Josh, it's easy to understand why so many people choose to become Friends. Regular monthly gifts help protect canals, support wildlife and keep teams on the ground responding to challenges every day. So why not join Josh and over 40,000 other Friends and help us keep our wonderful canals alive?