Board members sought for pilot Kennet & Avon Canal Waterway Partnership Board

17 August 2010

The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust (KACT) and British Waterways (BW) are asking local people and organisations to nominate interested individuals to become volunteer board members on a new local Waterway Partnership Board that will help govern the 87-mile canal that runs from Reading to Bath.
The establishment of a Waterway Partnership Board is a pilot scheme created to inform British Waterways' national proposals to become a 'civil society' organisation, a ‘national trust for the waterways’.

BW recognise that its current governance arrangements need to be reviewed ahead of a move to the third sector to allow for greater participation by local people. The Kennet & Avon Waterway Partnership Board will demonstrate how the different groups, communities and businesses that use, enjoy and neighbour the waterway can work together locally to help manage and maintain the canal corridor effectively.

David Rees, Chairman, The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust said:
“This is a real opportunity for interested members of society along the length of the canal to participate in the shaping of the waterway, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, and to move it forward as a continuing vibrant linear country park.”
The new board will focus on the promotion and maintenance of a sustainable future for the Kennet & Avon Canal. The Board will influence the formulation of the Waterway Plan which will cover operations, development and fundraising, and will oversee the delivery of that plan.
British Waterways’ Chief Executive, Robin Evans said:
“We hope that a wide variety of interested parties, reflecting the diversity of groups that use the canal, will come forward to be part of the Local Waterway Partnership Board.
“Over 13 million people visit the waterways each year, and there are over 34,000 boats licensed to use the waterways we manage. The Kennet & Avon Canal is a popular and much-loved waterway with an active and established Trust. We hope that this pilot will demonstrate that giving local communities a role in the management their waterway together with a real sense of ownership will create improved and sustainable waterways for the future.”

The membership of the Board, which will number up to 12, will reflect the full range of interests in the waterway. BW and the KACT are seeking expressions of interest from individuals with commitment and relevant experience, including people from the public and private sectors, local communities, interest groups and individuals who may have technical knowledge, such as engineers, ecologists and environmentalists. People with skills in community engagement, fundraising and marketing and communications may also like to apply, along with keen boaters, anglers, cyclists and walkers. David Rees, current Chairman of the KACT, has been invited to chair the pilot Waterways Partnership Board.

The Waterways Partnership Board will initially meet this September and will run as a pilot for up to 18 months, meeting every 6 to 8 weeks at locations along the Kennet & Avon canal, to be decided. The Board members will be volunteers, although out of pocket expenses will be met.
The Kennet & Avon Canal was chosen as the pilot location, as it has a strong established Trust, which, over the last 50 years has been largely responsible for the restoration of the canal, and now stands as a testament of continuing community interest having over 3,800 members.

BW and the KACT worked together previously to develop a partnership that secured the £25m Heritage Lottery Grant in 1997 to complete the full restoration of the waterway.

Written expressions of interest should be sent to administrator@katrust.org.uk by Friday 27th August 2010.

ENDS

For further information please contact e gill.owen@britishwaterways.co.uk t 0207 985 7227 m 07733124580

Notes to editors
The Kennet & Avon Canal in 2010
In 2010 the Kennet & Avon Canal celebrates the 200th anniversary of its opening in 1810. The canal winds its way 87 miles from Reading to Bath, before joining the River Avon and linking to Bristol. The canal is a 200-year-old feat of engineering, originally built as a trade route, now supporting a thriving leisure industry following a record £25 million restoration project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Kennet & Avon Canal is managed and maintained by British Waterways, in partnership with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, local authorities and numerous volunteer groups. The canal is a diverse wildlife habitat, home to an impressive array of historic industrial architecture, a leisure boating route, a long distance path, a holiday destination and much more to many thousands of people who visit each year.
The K&A 200 steering group, including British Waterways, Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, VisitWiltshire? and Wadworth & Co. Ltd, has joined forces to promote the canal during 2010, its bicentenary year. Through a series of activities and events, organisations, local groups and national bodies will be celebrating the canal’s history, enjoying its beauty and looking forward to its development beyond 2010 as a much-loved asset to the communities through which it passes and connects.
The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust
When the canal fell into disuse and was facing abandonment in the 1950s, the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust was formed to campaign for its restoration. The Trust has, over the years, collaborated with and complemented British Waterways through the Trust’s mission to Protect, Enhance and Promote the waterway. ‘Powered’ by its many volunteers the Trust runs four trip boats and operates cafes and shops along the waterway. Additionally by volunteer effort the Trust has restored and operates two original pumping stations and its Canal Museum in Devizes. To find out more visit www.katrust.org.uk

British Waterways cares for Britain’s 200-year old network of historic canals, rivers and docks, which attract over 13 million people each year for walking, cycling, angling, boating or simply the peace and quiet. We wish to establish a ‘national trust’ for the waterways in order to secure the network for future generations and to give local people a greater say in how they are run.

www.britishwaterways.co.uk