The Wet Web
Helen Gazeley takes a closer look at two of the less well-known waterways groups to benefit from the Canal & River Trust’s Waterways Charities Appeal.
AS REPORTED on page 10, 43 charities benefited from the £31,500 distributed by the Canal & River Trust from its Waterways Charities Appeal, launched in May to help during the lockdown.
A look at them not only shows how much work small local organisations put in, but also the widely differing interests of waterways-focused charities.
The 120-strong Bury Water Meadows Group, formed in 2013 to safeguard a green space in the historic town of Bury St Edmunds, aims to improve and conserve the Rivers Lark and Linnet, including bank renovation, planting and litter-picking among their activities, so increasing biodiversity, improving access, and increasing community involvement with the rivers.
Their secretary, Libby Ranzetta, explained the impact the virus had on them. “We found we couldn’t meet for talks and we cancelled all the work parties.” This included the rolling programme of work on Ram Meadow, which they recently added to their remit.
However, in common with other organisations, they’ve found an upside. “At least we’re getting together online. The meetings are really well attended.
We’ve had weekly webinars and grown our membership, and ‘met’ members that haven’t been seen for a long time.”
The £500 grant has allowed them to cover their Zoom fees and meetings are continuing. Free to all, anyone can take part and a list of their meetings, now fortnightly, is on the website (www.burywatermeadowsgroup. org.uk or find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/ BuryWaterMeadowsGroup).
The Bury Water Meadows Group hadn’t had any contact with CRT before applying for the money. “I was surprised we got the grant,” says Libby. “I thought I’d go for it because it was talking about communities using the water and riverside.”
The grants were open to any organisation involved with any waterway in England and Wales. Around 70 applied. “There were quite a few charities that we weren’t aware of,” says Justine Lee, project manager at CRT.
“We asked people to tell us what their charity was about and how Covid had impacted on them and the list went before an assessment panel.” They aimed for a good spread of charities across the country and a good spread of types of groups, from traditional community boat trusts to organisations looking after the environment.
Canal Connections, a Community Interest Company in Leeds, is no stranger to the CRT as it works to demonstrate the potential of the waterways in improving people’s lives. “What we do is people-focused,” explains trustee Trevor Roberts, a former policeman who worked with youth offenders.
“We believe everybody’s got value, and we can use the waterways to achieve their potential.” Canal Connections has four boats, but Trevor finds it’s hard to convince people that they don’t just run nice day-trips for the disadvantaged.
Their youth project, Ignite, works with those struggling in mainstream education.
“There’s a lot of low selfesteem, not thinking they’re worthwhile, from communities with low reputation.” One of the things the kids love when first out on a boat, says Trevor, is that people wave at them.
“They’re used to people putting them down,” he adds.
Paradoxically, the most disadvantaged kids often live close to the waterways. “They’re there because it was the source of employment in the past but the waterways look neglected and they have no respect for them.” Taking people out on the water, Trevor says, makes a huge difference, both in the way they see the waterways and themselves. “We use the boats as an educational and therapeutic sanctuary.”
Success stories include a boy facing final exclusion from school who became his school’s deputy head boy four years later, and a mathematically challenged lad who took to computer coding when involved in creating a digital heritage trail. “We find the relevance. The real thing we try to do is give them something worthwhile. The waterways are a beautiful medium for introducing you to a range of things – engineering, physics, geography, maths – you learn them in a different way.”
Their £1500 grant is particularly welcome as, at the time of lockdown, Canal Connections had volunteers renovating two boats which were then caught in dry dock, costing a fortune.
For more information on the extent of their work, including that with older age groups, visit canal-connections.com.
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