The Canal and River Trust is the charity which took over the running of over two thousand miles of waterways in England and Wales from British Waterways in 2013.

The trust looks after towpaths, bridges, aqueducts, locks and docks - almost anything to do with the use of a waterway under its control.

In addition the Trust operates museums and attractions around the UK including:

• National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
• The Canal Museum in Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire
• Gloucester Waterways Museum, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
• Anderton Boat Lift, Anderton, Cheshire
• Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre in Marsden, West Yorkshire

It's the 40th anniversary of the National Waterways museum so keep an eye out on the Museum's page on the Trust website for special celebratory events in 2017.

How it's all done

To keep all this running the Trust receives a government grant and funds from the People's Postcode Lottery and generates income from attractions, mooring and property rentals and commercial fees (for example for running services along waterways).

But for the physical work required to keep towpaths and river banks clear and bring disused sections back into use, it's mainly down to teams of enthusiastic local volunteers.

Often the work is to increase access to the waterways, making it easier and safer for pushchairs, wheelchairs and bicycles to use towpaths.

Campaigning

The Trust also runs campaigns to make life around the waterways better for everyone.

A great example of this is last year's campaign to stop people throwing bread to ducks and other water fowl. The campaign detailed other, healthier foods to feed to ducks like seeds, fruit and vegetables.

As a result, surveys showed a 20% reduction in bread feeding.

What can you do?

The most obvious thing is to enjoy the waterways more and keep them vibrant - plenty of ideas here. Even for non-boat owners the canals offer peaceful respite from the day-to-day bustle of modern life

If you're keen to get more involved, the Trust welcomes volunteers with a lot of information on the website to help you. It's not all manual work, their are opportunities to record wildlife, educate people, guide tours and even help out with admin or marketing.

Events throughout the summer

Keep an eye on the Trust's excellent website for things to do this summer. As well as events there are ideas for enjoying the waterways on your own or in a group.

There will be things to do for all the family at various locations around England and Wales so lets hope for some good weather!

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