Regional Round-up South - February 2025

Lighting the way in Birmingham

In November, we partnered with The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and Roundhouse Birmingham to host Bringing the Light. The free, family-friendly celebration brought the city’s historic waterways to life in a dazzling display of light, music, and entertainment, drawing in hundreds of local residents.

The day kicked off with a lantern-making workshop at Roundhouse Birmingham, where attendees crafted their own lanterns ahead of an evening procession along the canal. They were then treated to a live performance by CBSO Principal Harp, Katherine Thomas, and some delicious traditional Bangladeshi cuisine.

As the light began to fade, participants grabbed their lanterns and set off on the much-anticipated evening procession. CBSO musicians provided a soaring soundtrack, as they followed a 1930s working narrowboat along the towpath, their glowing lanterns illuminating the water.

The festivities concluded with a family concert at the CBSO Centre, featuring standout performances from local musicians. This memorable event brought the city of Birmingham together in a spectacular celebration of art, history, and culture. Thanks to its overwhelming success, we are hoping this is just the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with this world-famous orchestra.

Weathering the storm in Newbury

A section of the Kennet & Avon Canal near Newbury is undergoing extensive works this winter, after a turbulent year of storms and flooding causing £160,000 worth of damage. Sadly, it’s indicative of a growing problem across our network.

The project at Newbury aims to upgrade the towpath at a vulnerable spot that’s prone to flooding and overtopping. Work will restore the towpath to its original level and reinforce the banks using "soft" bank repairs, to shore up the canal against future incidents.

As our enterprise manager, Rhys Williams explains: "Soft bank repairs use sustainable materials like coconut matting; they’re habitat-friendly, so they’ll be good for local wildlife, and of course, they’ll create a bit more of a buffer between the waterway and the towpath, reducing the risk of flooding.”

Sadly, the issues at Newbury are not uncommon. Extreme weather events take their toll on our ageing infrastructure, destroying the towpaths we walk on, the places we fish, and the waters we cruise along. Last winter alone, storms caused £10 million in emergency repairs, and with rising costs and government funding cuts, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain our 2,000 miles of canals.

We’re dedicated to preserving our beautiful, historic network, and with your help and support, we’ll continue to do all we can to keep our precious waterways open and accessible to all.

Improving air quality in Oxford

The Trust, in partnership with Oxford City Council, is taking a step towards cleaner air. A new eco mooring initiative, designed to reduce pollution along the city’s canals, is being launched at the end of February ready for the new boating season. The pilot scheme, funded by the Government’s annual Air Quality Grant, will provide visiting boaters with electricity hookups, offering a greener alternative to traditional diesel generators and wood burners.

As part of the city’s drive to go smoke-free, the scheme is the first of its kind outside of London, building on successful trials along Regent’s Canal in Islington.

The eco moorings, installed at Aristotle Lane in Jericho on the Oxford Canal, will support up to six boats at a time, enabling boaters to switch off their engines while moored along the towpath. Free for the first 48 hours, it’s hoped the electric hookups will reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality in the area. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out across the city.

While there are around 15,000 people living on our canals and rivers, there are limited locations around the country where electric power is available, leaving boaters reliant on fossil fuels. Schemes like the ones in Oxford and Islington could be a real catalyst, giving boaters better access to alternative energy, and making our waterways cleaner, greener, and more sustainable.