Water-way to celebrate

CANAL enthusiasts are being invited to contribute to a giant scrapbook of waterway memories to help mark the 40th anniversary of the tide turning for Britain’s canal network.

By the 1960s commercial boat traffic on Britain’s canals had all but collapsed.

But Harold Wilson’s Government recognised for the first time the important role that waterways had to play in tourism and leisure — and the result was the 1968 Transport Act, which secured the future of the canals and rivers for future generations.

British Waterways says that 40 years of Britain’s love of messing around in boats has led to positive results.

Last year, 252 million visits were made to British Waterways’ canals and rivers, pumping almost £1 billion into local communities.

Robin Evans, British Waterways’ chief executive, said: “Our unswerving love of messing about on the waterways has ensured that the UK’s network of 2,200 miles of canals and rivers remains open to all in 2008.

“Looking at the waterways today, it is perhaps easy to forget that in 1968 many were near terminal decline.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but where the waterways were once only loved by just a small handful of enthusiasts, they are now valued and enjoyed by an enormous number of walkers, cyclists, boaters, anglers and visitors.

“Now we are calling on people to share their photos, drawings and nostalgic jottings to help us capture these moments in a giant waterway scrapbook that will be available for others to see.

Photos and memories should be sent to 40yearsofmemories@waterscape.com