People's Postcode Lottery

Preserving our waterways

Thanks to this fantastic support, we’ve been able to deliver vital work that helps us to preserve and transform our historic canals into places where people can spend time, connect with nature and take a break from the everyday.

With £26 million in funding awarded to date, players of Postcode Lottery have supported a variety of important waterway and wellbeing projects, with over 230 projects and 35 programmes delivered.

This includes:

• Heritage infrastructure works on the Cathedral of the Canals, Anderton Boat Lift and Tees Barrage, as well as vital lock gate replacements, bridge repairs, and reservoir maintenance.
• Our Explorer's educational programme
• Let's! participation programmes including Let’s Fish
• Community Roots - our national community outreach programme
• Nature projects
• Water Safety
• Waterways art
• Digitising historic artefacts in our collection at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port

Richard Parry, our former chief executive, said: "We are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of People's Postcode Lottery which has enabled us to fund a range of vital projects, helping to realise our vision of living waterways that transform places and enrich lives."

The Waterway Community Fund

The Waterway Community Fund supports grassroots projects that care for and connect people with our canals and rivers. Thanks to Postcode Lottery players, we’re able to back high-quality projects that enhance local ownership and enrich our waterways.

This year, the Fund is open again. Partner groups, organisations, or Trust volunteers can find full details in our information guide included in the application form.

Thank you

Thank you to players for supporting us today and throughout the years.