certificates and awards including John Muir,. Heritage Hero and Saltire Awards in partnership with the John Muir. Trust,
Impact Report 2016 / 2017
Welcome Scottish Waterways Trust is Scotland’s only national waterways charity, working across the country’s five historic canals.
We are unique in that we bring together canalside communities and conservation of our waterway heritage. We help people enrich their lives by becoming more active in their community, improving their health and mental wellbeing, gaining new skills to help their employment prospects and learning about history and nature. At the same time we improve and enhance the canal heritage and environment.
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By working in partnership with others we provide a huge number of ways for people to connect with our canal heritage and environment including public events, walks, talks, projects and programmes. We encourage people to explore, enjoy and benefit from everything the canals have to offer by helping to enhance towpaths and fundraising for new amenities people can enjoy now and well into the future. We rely on support from canal custodians Scottish Canals, lottery funds, trusts, corporate partnerships, donations from members of the public and our enthusiastic volunteers to continue our work.
Almost one million people live within two miles of a canal in Scotland. Contents Welcome
2-3
Heritage and Environment
4-5
Volunteering
6-7
Learning and Skills
8-9
Communities and Regeneration 10 Health
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Heritage and Environment Canals are a unique and precious part of Scotland’s industrial past. Today, they’re thriving green and blue corridors, home to unique and protected wildlife. Through biodiversity recording and habitat creation, heritage walks, talks and volunteering, we’re bringing the canals to life and enriching people’s lives using built, cultural and natural heritage. In the past year local people joined us for archaeological surveys and photography to discover more about the industrial past of the waterways and our volunteers have protected canalside walls with lime-mortaring. We also: Helped
people in the Highlands engage with the majestic Caledonian Canal at events in Inverness and beyond. Two ‘Go Wild on the Canal’ family fun days with partners Scottish Canals attracted
people
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Worked in partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Scottish Canals and the Botanical Society of Scotland to record canal wildflower and bumblebee populations
Engaged local businesses and people with safeguarding over canalside buildings and structures
Main image: A new heritage trail connecting two of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions: The Falkirk Wheel and The Kelpies. We raised £348,000 towards the project which was created in partnership with Scottish Canals.
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Volunteering With our dedicated volunteers, we can help safeguard the canals for many years to come.
Built relationships with dedicated volunteers who delivered almost
in volunteer time*
Our volunteer projects care for the waterways, help communities thrive, create civic pride and empower local people to gain new skills, friends and interests. In 2016, we launched our most successful canal adoption project to date, Love Your Canal, where 41 volunteer lock-keepers helped boats pass through Glasgow’s canal. We also:
Helped volunteers earn certificates and awards including John Muir, Heritage Hero and Saltire Awards in partnership with the John Muir Trust, Archaeology Scotland and CVS Falkirk
* Calculated using Big Lottery Fund guidance
Inspired
volunteers to roll up their sleeves and care for canals across the country
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Learning and Skills Development
young people moved nearer to work on our employability programme Green Action
Our canals transform lives and are an ever-changing educational resource for thousands of people. We provide access to exciting education and life-long learning opportunities for people on the canals each year. Young unemployed people unlock their full potential on our practical, outdoor canal-based employability programmes and school children explore and care for the waterways while out with our Canal Officers.
of young people completing our Green Action employability programme secured a job, place in training, education or a volunteering role
In the last year:
primary and secondary school children joined our school canal adoption projects or educational workshops across the country
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Engaged
Communities and Regeneration
people in total through all of our canal-side projects and initiatives across Scotland
Almost 22 million people visit Scotland’s canals each year. The waterways are alive with people walking, running and cycling. We want to help keep it that way. By raising money towards upgraded towpaths and infrastructure, we’re helping more people keep fit on the canals each year and improve access for people of all ages and abilities. Resurfaced towpaths connect communities and new heritage trails and facilities encourage people to enjoy, appreciate and spend more time on the waterways. In the last year we:
Led community payback teams to complete a major, multi-stage repair to keep the Union Canal flowing worth
in volunteer time and materials
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Raised
in cash towards projects on our waterways
Health We believe passionately in the benefits of nature connection with our waterways. Canals provide tranquil natural environments within some of our busiest urban communities and have enormous potential as places for people to relax and escape from the pressures of everyday life. Those experiencing mental health problems benefit from engaging with canal green and blue space on our Nature Walks for Wellbeing programme which includes weekly mindful activities. As a result, they feel more refreshed, positive and independent.
of Nature Walks for Wellbeing participants reported improved mental, physical and social wellbeing
of those attending said they would continue the activities in the future, either by themselves or with others
Our programme of walks, volunteering and activities encourage people to get active outdoors.
Over
In the past year:
people joined us on a canalside guided walk and we trained 7 community walk leaders in Glasgow
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With thanks to our funders and partners in 2016/17 for making our work possible.
Funders Adobe Foundation Community Grant; Avondale Environmental through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund; Bank of Scotland Foundation; Co-op Local Community Fund; European Social Fund through the National Third Sector Fund; Falkirk Council; Forestry Commission Scotland; Heritage Lottery Fund; Historic Environment Scotland; LandTrust West Lothian; MacKenzie Construction Ltd; Postcode Local Trust; ScotiaCon UK Ltd; Scotland’s Gardens; Scottish Canals; Scottish Natural Heritage; The Highland Council; The Hugh Fraser Foundation; The Robertson Trust;Vegware Community Fund and WREN
Partners
American-Scottish Foundation® Archaeology Scotland Developing Nation Doors Open Days eCom Scotland HUG Action for Mental Health New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital Polwarth Parish Church Re-Union Canal Boats Scottish Canals SeeMe Scotland
ScotlandsCanals
scottishwaterwaystrust
Scottish Waterways Trust, New Port Downie, Lime Road, Falkirk FK1 4RS To contact us for partnership, corporate or funding opportunities email
[email protected]. www.scottishwaterwaystrust.org.uk Charity No: SC043477 Company No: SC434185 Patron: HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay Design: Rosslyn Web & Design
