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Canal & River Trust

Impact Report 2024/25

Canal & River Trust is the UK's largest canal charity, caring for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs across England and Wales. In 2024-25, 791 million unique visits were made to the network — an average of 10.3 million people per month. Over 5,473 volunteers gave 747,518 hours; 103,000+ children attended outdoor learning sessions; 70,000+ hours of community payback were delivered. The network contributes £11.7bn annually to the economy and saves the NHS an estimated £1.1bn through active use. Won the 2025 NGO Impact Award for Unlocking Biodiversity.

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About

2,000 miles of canal and towpath maintenance; 135 new lock gates installed; 15 emergency repairs and 200+ winter works projects; 22 large reservoir repairs; Community Roots programme (10 deprived areas); Let's Programme (1,263 events); water safety sessions; Citizen Scientists programme; community payback; hydro scheme support; flood protection; drinking water supply for 5 million Custom geography from upload: England and Wales (2, 000 miles of canals)

Key Metrics

Key Metric 1 791 million unique visits; 10.3 million people per month visited canals and towpaths in 2024-25; 8.9 million people live within 10-15 minute walk of the network
Key Metric 2 5,473 volunteers gave 747,518 hours; 103,000+ children attended outdoor learning sessions; 69,000+ people attended water safety sessions; 70,000+ hours of community payback at 36 sites
Key Metric 3 £1.1bn annual savings to NHS from active waterway use (Valuing Our Waterways 2024); £11.7bn annual economic contribution supporting 230,000 jobs; 80%+ of network kept open through extreme weather

Key Outcomes

  • 2025 NGO Impact Award winners in Unlocking Biodiversity; 741 miles of Green Flag awarded canals; 68 SSSIs and 1,500 non-statutory wildlife sites protected; 450 species recorded on Regent's Canal; 900+ species on Manchester's canals
  • Canal network designated at heart of UK's first official 'Nature City'; Leeds & Liverpool Canal water heating 9,000 homes and 4 million sq ft of commercial space; 53.7% of households within 1km experiencing wellbeing inequalities — Trust providing vital green access
  • 1,300 bags of plastic waste and 1,500 tonnes of floating pennywort removed; 2,700+ heritage structures cared for; 90% towpath user satisfaction; 71% of users say mood improved positively; 78% felt close to nature on visit; 13,000+ liveaboard boat licence holders

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