Acting Chairman's New Year message

As we close out on 2021, I thank Brian Stovold for his time as Chair and reflect back on a challenging year where COVID has continued to constrain our activities, yet everyone has done their best to make their contributions count, whether as supportive members or as active volunteers on the ground and in the virtual office. Thanks to everyone for your efforts and both the steady and breakthrough progress we have made on current and new sites.

The Trust is in an improving fundraising position to finance a greater amount of volunteer work in 2022 and we expect that larger, more complex commercial projects that will enable significant canal restoration will continue to mature and approach realisation with our active encouragement. With more opportunity than ever to make progress now, the more members and active volunteers we need to underpin the Trust and to enable or deliver restoration work.

Let your New Year’s resolution be to spread the word amongst our communities, to win friends for canal restoration and to encourage new, active waterway supporters to join the Trust!

I hope you had a good Christmas and I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.

Best wishes
Justin Lewis (Acting Chair of Trustees)