CanalCast: The Canal & River Trust Podcast

Join our host Louis Howell (Canal & River Trust Council member and Chair of our Youth Engagement Advisory Group) as he meets our people throughout the Trust, finding out all about our valuable work to look after our vital 2,000-miles waterway network.

You can also listen to all the episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and TuneIn.

Episode one: Helping nature recover

With nature in decline, Louis will be talking to members of our environment team to discuss the wildlife in our canals and on our towpaths and riverbanks.

As well as finding out how we're helping nature to recover, Louis will learn how these blue and green corridors connect nature up around the country and how they help give people a precious connection to wildlife too.

Episode two: Improving health and wellbeing by water

In our second episode, we explore the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time by water. We look at how now, more than ever, our canals and rivers are helping provide solutions to the health crisis we are facing.

We discover how vital our waterways were during the lockdowns and we find out about some of the projects we are working on in partnership to help restore both the physical and the mental health of the nation in the months to come.

Episode three: Managing water in our canals

In episode three, we explore why it’s so important to look after the water that runs through all 2,000 miles of our canals. We look at where it comes from, where it goes and how we can protect this precious resource from the impact of climate change. Louis talks with our experts to uncover some of the innovative ways we use the water in our canals to make a more sustainable future for us all.

Episode four: Boats and boating

In episode four, we look at the boats and boaters that are the lifeblood of our canals. Louis discovers how boaters helped to rescue our canals and the vital role they play in helping us all enjoy the canals today. Louis discovers how our team of experts look after the boating community, from how we work hard every day to keep our canals and locks open for everyone, to supporting the wellbeing of live aboard boaters.

Episode five: Our heritage and collections

In this episode, Louis discusses the three ages of the canals and how, at over 200-years-old, our canals are still operational and working harder than ever before. Our experts discuss how we can keep our industrial heritage alive and well through preservation work, even with its challenges and complications, and how our collections and museums keep canal stories from the past alive.

Episode six: Managing an 18th century network in a 21st century world

In the final episode of our first series of CanalCast, Louis looks at how the Canal & River Trust manages an 18th century network in a 21st century world. Our experts explain how we plan and prioritise the maintenance work on our waterways and the challenges we face keeping an aging network operating smoothly for thousands of boaters and millions of visitors.