Honouring our brightest and best

As you know, our charity runs dozens of worthwhile projects across England and Wales, connecting communities, protecting wildlife, and making life better for thousands of people. Over the last 12 months, our teams have gone above and beyond to deliver ground-breaking and often life-changing initiatives. Here are just some of this year’s worthy winners.

Unlocking biodiversity in the West Midlands

This year, our ‘Large Project’ award went to our environment team in the West Midlands, for their incredible work around biodiversity. The ambitious two-year project, in partnership with Severn Trent, aims to improve 335 kilometres of priority habitat across the region’s canal network.

Just over a year in, the initiative is already yielding impressive results. Our wonderful volunteers have been restoring hedgerows and seeding wildflowers to encourage pollinators, clearing scrub to improve floral diversity, and installing coir rolls along the banks to expand the range of endangered water vole populations.

In all, the team have delivered an impressive 151 kilometres of habitat enhancements, protecting some of our most at-risk species, enriching the local environment, and knitting together blue and green spaces across the West Midlands.

As well as supporting the recovery of plant and animal life, the programme has also helped to bring people together, engaging with volunteers, residents, and the wider community, and reconnecting them with the wonder of nature on our canals.

'School's in' in the East Midlands

Our charity has always championed children and young people, and the winners of this year’s ‘Community’ award have been utilising our waterways to keep kids in school and promote long-term wellbeing.

The Explorers team, in the East Midlands, delivered a programme of activities for girls in Years 9 to 11 who were struggling with issues around confidence, self-esteem, mental health, and anxiety. This was triggering various behavioural problems, putting them in danger of exclusion. 

Over four half-day sessions, the team took the girls canoeing and walking, taught them bushcraft, and hosted one-to-one and group sessions designed to build social connections and support their emotional needs.

The feedback from the participating students, their parents, and school support staff has been overwhelming. The school’s safeguarding teams have said it’s the most impactful scheme they’ve ever offered, and the girls who took part have reported positive effects on their mental health and wellbeing, with greater confidence and fewer feelings of anxiety.

The project represents an exciting new step in our work with local secondary schools, helping us support vulnerable young people, and using our waterways to promote better mental and physical health.

Going above and beyond in Northamptonshire

Every year, we present our ‘Clive Porter Values’ award to an individual who truly embodies the values of the Trust. This time, it went to enforcement officer, George Dickinson, for his remarkable contribution to a boating community scheme in Northamptonshire.

George, who has been with us for more than two decades, cares deeply about the communities he serves, working closely with some of the most vulnerable members of society, often in their darkest hours.

This year, he began liaising with the outreach team at West Northamptonshire Council to facilitate a pilot scheme, aimed at empowering the local boating community, promoting personal wellbeing, and giving them better access to support services.

Working tirelessly behind the scenes, at no cost to the Trust, George went above and beyond to get the scheme up and running, using his vast local knowledge to get partners on board and engage the boating community. Now, thanks to George’s hard work and indefatigable spirit, boaters in the region have greater ties to the community and a strong support network that they can rely on in times of need.

A winning team

On the night, other awards were handed out for innovation, initiative, and excellence. Our colleagues, volunteers, and partners do an amazing job all year round, and without their skill, expertise, and boundless enthusiasm, our canals simply couldn’t function. In our eyes, they’re all winners!