If you're a school group, educational body or uniformed group who are just visiting the canal (not fundraising), then you can find more information on our Explorer pages.
Alternatively, if you'd like to coordinate volunteer sessions on our properties, please don't hesitate to contact us via email at [email protected]** for further details and support.
When to Apply
We recommend submitting your event application at least three months prior to the scheduled event date. This allows sufficient time for your application to be reviewed and approved. Keep in mind that submitting an application with less than four weeks’ notice before the event is scheduled to occur is likely to result in us declining the event due to insufficient time to process.
Application Fees
To help cover the cost of processing event applications and ensuring our charity’s funds remain focused on maintaining and preserving the waterways, an administration fee applies to third-party event applications.
From 1 April 2025, we are introducing a two-tier application fee system:
- Small Community Events (under 25 participants) – If your event is free to attend, not fundraising for a charity, and for fewer than 25 people, you will not be charged an application fee.
- Rate 1 (£105 +VAT) – For non-commercial event organisers, the current £95 application fee will increase to £105 in line with inflation.
Rate 2 (£250 +VAT) – This new rate will apply to:
- Charity events that are not free to attend and are primarily held for fundraising purposes.
- Businesses or/and Commercial events.
Please note that an additional event fee may apply depending on the scale and type of event.
Click here for more information on the events rate card and FAQs on charging.
How to Apply
To fill in the online event application form, you will first require a My Trust account. You can set up an account on our signup page. Then, click on the link below to go to the event application form.
What Happens Next?
You'll be asked to pay the admin fee at the time of submission. We'll also need a risk assessment, safeguarding policy, and a copy of your public liability insurance certificate. If you need to add additional items to your application after submitting it, you'll need to contact us for consent.
Once completed, we'll process your application and inform and consult with our relevant local teams. We might need to ask you for further details during the assessment process. You'll have a dashboard to monitor the progress of your application. If your application needs to be refused, we will let you know why.
A Special Note for Unpowered Craft Events – Paddle Responsibly
For events involving kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards, it's essential to follow check, clean, and dry procedures to prevent the spread of invasive species. These simple steps help protect our waterways and their delicate ecosystems.
Learn more about biosecurity (see our Invasive Species page and video) at paddling events and how to play your part by visiting the Paddle UK Biosecurity Toolkit.
