The restoration of a historic Leeds & Liverpool Canal working boat, the rescuing from dereliction of a length of the Cotswold Canals, and a campaign to ‘bash the balsam’ are all among the winners of the Living Waterways awards – plus there’s an Outstanding Achievement Award for waterways photographer, journalist and campaigner Harry Arnold MBE.
The annual awards presented by the Canal & River Trust aim to recognise the UK’s “most inspiring and exciting waterway-based improvement projects”. There are eight categories, including:
. Education & Learning, won by the project to restore Leeds & Liverpool short-boat Kennet as an education project visiting schools in towns along the canal.
. Restoration & Historic Environment, awarded to the Cotswold Canals restoration which is reopening a six-mile length of canal through Stroud (pictured) as a step towards complete restoration of the route from the Severn to the Thames.
. Natural Environment, which went to the Inland Waterways Association’s campaign to prevent invasive Himalayan Balsam plants from taking over canal and riversides to the exclusion of all native species
CRT Chief Executive Richard Parry paid tribute to “the amazing work which is taking place across the country” on “some truly wonderful projects across all award categories”.
You can see more including a video about each of the winners at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/living-waterways-awards
