Local Communities

Although the waterway network is a vital asset for London as a whole, most Londoners will know individual stretches of a waterway as part of what defines their local community. British Waterways London is therefore working at a local level with both residential communities and other regular users of the waterways in order to help us understand and encompass their needs and aspirations.

The experience of the last 50 years has shown that, when they are used, canals offer idyllic refuges for everyone's benefit. When they are neglected however, they can suffer from vandalism, graffiti and hooliganism. To encourage local communities to value their local canal or river, we have developed canal adoption schemes, which promote active participation in protecting and conserving the waterways.

These schemes embrace all aspects of canal maintenance and improvement, encouraging groups to become involved in activities such as canal clean-ups, wildflower planting, repairs and enhancements, as well as visiting and studying the canal environment. There is no age limit and activities are tailored to the specific needs of the individual group. One such group was set up in Kings Cross and the members organised two canal clean-ups on the Regent's Canal.

We are working on a number of initiatives to reduce the fear of crime across its network. It hopes that by engaging the community in all its activities local people will start to embrace and enjoy the waterways and feel a sense of ownership and protectiveness towards them. With 'adopt a canal' and 'friends' groups starting to become established, our relationship with people using London's waterways is going from strength to strength.

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