The milestone marks a decade since the Macclesfield Canal became our first canal to receive Green Flag status in 2016, helping to establish canals as some of the nation's most important and accessible green and blue spaces.
A growing network
This year, a further 19½ miles of the Rochdale Canal, including the canal through the centre of Manchester, has been awarded Green Flag status. The award recognises the canal’s role as a vital urban green corridor that is a focal point to the ongoing regeneration of the city centre. It also supports Greater Manchester’s ambition to make walking, wheeling and cycling the natural choice for short everyday journeys, demonstrating how canals help create healthier and better-connected communities.
The Rochdale Canal joins a growing network of Green Flag waterways running through some of the UK's largest urban areas, including Birmingham, Coventry, Gloucester, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stoke, and Wolverhampton, alongside many of the country's most cherished rural landscapes. Together, these waterways illustrate the role canals play in delivering regional priorities around health and wellbeing, sustainable transport, and placemaking, together with national policy, including the Government’s just announced accelerated path to meet the global 30by30 commitment to help tackle climate change and halt species extinction.
Unlike many recreational spaces, canals are free to visit and are already embedded within the communities they serve. This is particularly important in areas where health inequalities are greatest and access to quality green space – especially green space by water – can be limited.
Showcasing our work
Campbell Robb, our chief executive, said: “For ten years, Green Flag Awards have helped showcase the important contribution canals make to communities across England and Wales.
“Whether in the heart of our cities or in the countryside, canals provide places where people can improve their wellbeing, be active and spend time with family and friends. We’re particularly pleased to see the Rochdale Canal recognised this year, highlighting the role canals can play in supporting healthier, greener and better-connected communities.
“But these waterways don't look after themselves. Built more than 200 years ago and still navigated by boats today, canals face the unrelenting passage of time as well as the growing challenges of extreme weather brought about by climate change. This recognition is a tribute to the dedication of our volunteers, supporters and colleagues who work tirelessly to care for these special places, and a reminder of the support needed to ensure this extraordinary part of our nation’s heritage remains here to benefit future generations.”
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for recreational outdoor spaces across the UK and around the world.
