EMBARGOED until midnight 8 October 2015

The winners of the 2015 Living Waterways Awards were announced at an awards ceremony held last night (8 October 2015) in London. Launched by the Canal & River Trust in January, and sponsored by Keir, CPC Civils, Fountains and Hyder Consulting, the Living Waterways Awards seek to recognise the most inspiring and exciting waterway-based improvement projects across the UK. The winners, which were selected from dozens of entries by an independent panel of experts, led by Christopher Rodrigues CBE, include:  the world’s largest equine sculpture and regenerated canal at the vibrant new Helix parkland project on the eastern end of the Forth & Clyde Canal at ;  environmentally sensitive flood defences developed at the medieval town of Sandwich in Kent, minimising the scale of hard flood defences while providing a high level of protection;  the inspirational Row The Erne community project at Enniskillen in Northern Ireland which saw the construction of a 10-man a traditional Irish boat from the Bronze Age, and has led to over 300 local people rowing on Lough Erne;  the Kennet Project’s painstaking restoration of a historic short boat on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, now visiting schools at Bradford, Keighley and Wigan and other canalside towns along the way;  the Inland Waterway Association’s hugely successful national campaign to tackle the spread of the highly invasive Himalayan Balsam plant;  the new Pinkston Watersports paddlesports centre on the Forth & Clyde Canal in - Scotland's first and only competition-standard, purpose-built paddlesports venue which has transformed the site of a former power station in a disadvantaged area of the city; and  the transformative restoration of 5km of the Cotswold Canals in Stroud which has meticulously uncovered and archived historical records, heavily involved the local community, attracted inward investment, enhanced the local natural and built environment and improved floodwater conveyance. The winners and runners-up were determined after a series of visits and assessments, which saw the expert judges, drawn from the environmental, engineering, architecture and regeneration sectors, travel from Sandwich to Enniskillen and from Glasgow to Devon.

Canal & River Trust, Toll House, Delamere Terrace, London, W2 6ND T: 0203 3204 4514 E: [email protected] W: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Twitter: @CanalRiverTrust Patron: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Canal & River Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales with company number 7807276 and registered charity number 1146792, registered office address: First Floor North, Station House, 500 Elder Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 1BB

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Christopher Rodrigues CBE, Chair of the Awards Assessment Panel explains: “We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2015 Living Waterways Awards - celebrating and recognising the individuals, communities and organisations that have done the most to make a difference to the nation’s rivers, canals, lochs, lakes, reservoirs and docks. “These really are incredible achievements and by shining a spotlight on what has been delivered to make the UK’s historic waterways exciting places to live, learn and spend time, we hope these transformative projects will inspire others to embark on similar schemes across the network.” Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, adds: “These important Awards bring well deserved recognition for the amazing work which is taking place across the country to improve the waterways for the benefit of us all. There were some truly wonderful projects across all award categories and I congratulate all the finalists.” From outstanding place-making sculptures and popular activity centres to sensitive restorations and powerful environmental initiatives, winners, runners-up and commended projects and people are recognised under eight award categories. Further details of the winners, runners-up and commended projects can be found at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk The 2015 Living Waterways Awards were presented as follows:

1. Art & Interpretation:

Winner - The Helix, /Grangemouth

Commended - Monkland Canal, Glasgow

2. Community & Volunteering:

Winner - Row the Erne, Enniskillen

Commended - Greening the Regent’s Canal, London

3. Contribution to the Built Environment:

Winner - Sandwich Town Tidal Defence Scheme.

Runner-up - Postle’s Bridge, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

4. Education & Learning:

Winner - The Kennet Project, Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Runner-up - Canal College, Falkirk &

Commended – Dewsbury Waterlinked, Dewsbury Arm of the Calder & Hebble Navigation and Pewsham Locks Centenary Celebrations

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5. Natural Environment:

Winner - the Inland Waterways Association’s Himalayan Balsam Campaign

Runner-up - Wolvercote Lakes, Oxford

Commended - Duck Broads Reed Bed Restoration, Norfolk and River Tale Restoration, Ottery St Mary

6. Recreation & Tourism:

Winner - Pinkston Watersports, Glasgow

Commended – Leeds Waterfront Festival

7. Restoration & Historic Environment:

Winner - Cotswold Canals Restoration, Stroud

Commended - Lichfield Canal Heritage Towpath Trail and Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge, Cheshire

8. Outstanding Achievement Award: Harry Arnold, MBE

ENDS

Media enquiries: Joe Coggins, email: [email protected] Phone: 07917 804550 Debbie Walker, email [email protected] Phone: 077486 40577

Notes to editors

The Canal & River Trust is the guardian of 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and Wales, caring for the nation’s third largest collection of listed structures, as well as museums, archives, and hundreds of important wildlife sites.

We believe that living waterways transform places and enrich lives and our role is to make sure there is always a place on your doorstep where you can escape the pressures of everyday life, stretch your legs and simply feel closer to nature. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk @CanalRiverTrust @CRTComms

The Helix, Falkirk/Grangemouth

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The Helix has transformed 350 hectares of under-used land on the eastern end of the Forth & Clyde Canal near Grangemouth into a vibrant new parkland, canal hub and world-class visitor attraction, featuring ‘’, the biggest pair of equine sculptures on the planet.

Monkland Canal, Glasgow The Monkland Canal Renaissance project has used a range of community-led artwork and improvement projects to bring the canal back to life as a valued community asset and celebrate its vital role in Scotland’s industrial heritage. Developments include landscape and access improvements, a new footbridge and viewing platform, and the creation of a number of artworks.

Postle’s Bridge, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct As part of a programme to improve access to all for visitors to the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site, a new ramp has been built at Postle’s Roving Bridge. The bridge provides the main pedestrian link from Trevor Basin to the branch of the Llangollen Canal leading to Llangollen and Horseshoe Falls. The provision of a new access ramp on this roving bridge, which had steep cobbled access, removed a barrier to many users, especially the older residents at adjacent warden-controlled properties.

Sandwich Town Tidal Defence Scheme A cost effective and environmentally sensitive tidal flood defence scheme has been developed at the medieval town of Sandwich in Kent. The scheme, which is the single largest flood defence project in Kent for three decades, minimises the scale of hard flood defences while providing a high level of protection.

Greening the Regent’s Canal, London An independent community volunteer group has led regular clean-up events along the Regent’s Canal and implemented a greening scheme to improve a section of the canal between Ben Johnson Lock and the Ragged School Museum.

Row the Erne, Enniskillen This project saw the construction of a 33ft-long, 10-man Curach - a traditional Irish boat from the Bronze Age. The Curach was built by over 60 volunteers and subsequently over 300 local people have rowed with the Club on Lough Erne, many accessing the waterway for the first time.

Canal College, Falkirk & Edinburgh Canal College gives young people the opportunity to gain practical experience working outdoors along the Forth & Clyde and Union canals, achieving a range of CV boosting skills, plus awards and certificates in heritage and conservation. The project also promotes inter-generational working by recruiting volunteer mentors to teach and inspire the young participants.

Dewsbury Waterlinked, Dewsbury Arm of the Calder & Hebble Navigation Set up to encourage local people to build knowledge about what their canal has to offer so that they become healthier, active visitors, advocates and volunteers, this project involves one of the most deprived communities in the country. A wide range of activities have been offered, including

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nature walks, tree planting, family fun days, angling taster sessions, canal adoption schemes, walking for health, litter picking, boat trips, bird box making and a youth training scheme.

Pewsham Locks Centenary Celebrations, Wilts & Berks Canal A series of activity and heritage open days were organised in the Chippenham area to mark the centenary of the abandonment of the Wilts & Berks Canal in 1914. The aim of the events was to raise the profile of the canal and engage local people in its restoration.

The Kennet Project, Leeds & Liverpool Canal The Friends of Kennet, a working group of members of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society, have restored and refurbished an historic Leeds & Liverpool Canal short boat, built in 1947 to carry cargo along the canal. It has been fitted out as an interactive museum and an education programme has been developed for its future.

Duck Broads Reed Bed Restoration, Norfolk The project involves the restoration of a reed bed that once separated Duck Broad from Heigham Sound. The reed bed is part of a network of connected BAP habitats that make up the Upper Thurne Broads and marshes SSSI.

IWA Himalayan Balsam Campaign The Inland Waterways Association has campaigned to tackle the spread of the invasive Himalayan Balsam (Inpatiens glandulifera), which has spread across the waterway network, crowding out native plants and reducing biodiversity. The campaign aimed to increase waterway users’ awareness of the plant and organised Himalayan Balsam ‘pull’ events across the country to help limit the spread of the plant.

River Tale Restoration, Ottery St Mary A series of restoration and community engagement measures have been achieved on the River Tale by a group of Tale Valley residents. Projects include: 7km of bankside stock fencing, buffer strips and selective coppicing - paving the way for water vole reintroduction; the funding of an environmental education ranger for the valley - leading to over 5000 school children visits annually; a primary school on-site Forest Schools facility; the start-up of a community composting scheme; a living history (Saxon) camp; and an annual family ‘Messing about on the River’ fun day.

Wolvercote Lakes, Oxford Creating a new nature reserve, this project has restored derelict and, in parts, contaminated land, delivered wildlife habitat improvements, opened up year-round public access to the larger lake and preserved the smaller lake for environmental protection.

Leeds Waterfront Festival Using the arts and interpretation, this project has successfully created links and unity with communities along the waterway corridor and successfully engaged with a wide demographic mix of people and communities. The project is a combination of events and activities which occur during the annual Leeds Waterfront Festival, but also is part of a sustained arts and cultural programme of activities throughout the year.

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Pinkston Watersports, Glasgow Located in Pinkston Basin on the Forth & Clyde Canal, Pinkston Watersports Centre is Scotland's first and only competition-standard, purpose-built paddlesports venue. The project, which has transformed the site of a former power station in a disadvantaged area of the city, features customisable white water and canoe slalom courses, a clean water basin, canoe polo pitches, affordable club storage, classrooms for wet activity and changing rooms.

Cotswold Canals Restoration, Stroud As well as the physical restoration of 5km of waterway between Stonehouse and Brimscombe, this phase of the restoration of the Cotswolds Canals has meticulously uncovered and archived historical records, educated and involved the local community, waterway enthusiasts and visitors, attracted inward investment, enhanced the local natural and built environment and improved floodwater conveyance.

Lichfield Canal Heritage Towpath Trail As part of efforts to build a high quality towpath to increase access to the canal, the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust has delivered a 400-metre long Disabled Towpath Trail at Tamworth Road. As well as being accessible to both wheelchair and mobility scooter users, it has bus stops at either end, making it widely available to the local community.

Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge, Cheshire This 89-year old bridge, which carries the busy A56 trunk road over the River Weaver near Frodsham in Cheshire, has been extensively restored so that it can continue to carry its capacity of 40 tonnes. The project replaced the bridge deck and corroded superstructure elements, refurbished the pontoon and completely repainted this 500T structure. Disruption was minimised for narrowboats, traffic, pedestrians and local businesses by the installation of a temporary road bridge alongside the swing bridge.

Harry Arnold, MBE, Lichfield Harry Arnold, author, historian, journalist and photographer, has been a stalwart supporter, advocate, restorer and chronicler of the inland waterways for more than half a century. He has tenaciously recorded the changing places, craft and people of the waterways since the late 1950s, and has also been heavily involved in a number of waterway charities and organisations, leading campaigns to promote and protect canals. Harry was central to setting up the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port, now the National Waterways Museum, and has energetically supported many other waterway projects and campaigns to promote and protect canals and their heritage. Now a national Vice President of The Inland Waterways Association (IWA), he has also inspired, enthused and assisted many individuals on their own conservation and restoration projects. Harry lives and works by the Trent & Mersey Canal at Alrewas, near Lichfield.