Community Projects
New Waterside Centre in Tottenham
The local area of Tottenham Hale, London, has suffered in recent years due to general deprivation. To help address this, British Waterways, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and Haringey Youth Paddlers developed the idea of a waterside community centre to encourage the local community to 'come back' to the marshes.
The result is an impressive new multi-purpose community centre situated at Stonebridge Lock on the River Lee Navigation in north London. The centre includes a base for Haringey Youth Paddlers, a community canoe club which offers water safety courses for local school children, a meeting room for the newly formed 'Friends of Tottenham Marshes', showers and laundry for boaters and public toilets for visitors to Tottenham Marshes.
Friends of Tottenham Marshes use the centre for a host of community based schemes and have set up local arts, history and permaculture groups who use the centre and surrounding environment on a regular basis.
The centre was funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Greenspaces Funding Programme and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and its construction was project managed by British Waterways London.
River Stort Sculpture Trail
In Summer 2008, British Waterways London and Harlow Council launched a new sculpture trail to celebrate Harlow's waterside heritage. Four freestanding sculptures and a glass and metal walkway form the three-and-a-half mile waterside trail along the River Stort linking Parndon Mill to the Gibberd Garden in Harlow.
The sculptures, which were inspired and created by local artists, are situated at Parndon Lock, Burnt Mill Lock, Latton Lock and Harlow Lock along the River Stort, whilst the raised glass and metal walkway spans the weir at Parndon Mill.
A Colourful Canvas
British Waterways London works in partnership with regeneration agencies, local communities and artists to produce colourful and distinctive pieces of public art to improve the canal environment. One such example is the recent 'Canal Wall' work produced by Yuko Shiraishi along the Regent's Canal in Hackney which was funded by Peer and the Shoreditch Trust.
Shiraishi devised a colour scheme for the 70 metre wall which has made a significant contribution to the regeneration of this stretch of the canal.
Pedestrians, cyclists and canal users observe the changing nature of the work as it reacts to sunshine, evening light, rain and cloud, as well as the effect its reflection will have on the canal itself. In early 2009, a lighting scheme will be incorporated into this work to both illuminate it and to provide a safer environment for users of the towpath at night.
Canalkeepers
One of our most successful community projects to date has involved setting up a 'Canalkeepers' volunteer scheme. Run in partnership with Thames 21, we now have 40 local people working as Canalkeepers along London's canals, covering lengths from Harefield on the Grand Union to Greenford on the Paddington Branch and Victoria Park on the Regent's Canal.
As well as providing a welcoming presence on the canal, Canalkeepers have helped boats through locks, cleared tonnes of rubbish, removed graffiti from signs, and liaised regularly with local police, park rangers and council workers, in many cases preventing or limiting offences. All volunteers have been issued with Canalkeeper clothing, making them easily recognisable, and have been given a Canalkeeper's kit with a whistle, simple first aid materials and graffiti cleaning equipment.
The scheme has received a very positive reaction from both visitors to the canal and other local residents.
