Canal & River Trust
Get verified emails for Canal & River Trust employeesAbout Canal & River Trust
Canal & River Trust is a charity founded in 2012 that cares for and helps bring to life 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales. Based in Ellesmere Port, England, the organization works through a team of more than 1,000 employees and volunteers. It keeps canals and rivers ready for everyday use, including lunch breaks, commuting, and walking.
Its work focuses on improving wellbeing by making waterways spaces where local people want to spend time. That aim guides a wider effort with communities across England and Wales, including in deprived and multicultural urban areas where access to quality green space is limited, to transform canals and rivers into places that support healthier and happier lives.
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Insights
Updated 16 Jul 2026Canal & River Trust is operating in a mixed competitive environment. It is competing for attention and support alongside other local green-space and parks initiatives, while also dealing with direct operational pressures from abandoned boats that are polluting waterways, taking up space, and costing the trust £700,000 a year. At the same time, philanthropic backing is being used to support service delivery, with new lock gates announced for three locks in Stoke Bruerne as part of a broader “15 locks for 15 years” programme.
Strategically, the trust is focused on keeping the canal network navigable and available for local communities through targeted infrastructure renewal. This is a maintenance-led approach. The planned installation of bespoke replacement lock gates at 15 locks across the network this winter points to a clear effort to preserve historic assets while improving reliability.
For investors and the public, the 15th year of support from Postcode Lottery players provides positive external validation of the trust’s work and suggests continued interest in charitable funding. That said, the reported £700,000 annual cost of abandoned boats shows there is still significant financial and operational strain for the trust to absorb or reduce. It remains a real burden.
Frequently asked questions
Canal & River Trust is headquartered in Ellesmere Port, England, United Kingdom.
Canal & River Trust has 1001-5000 employees according to its company profile.
Canal & River Trust operates in the Civic & Social Organization sector. Public valuation figures are not always disclosed for private companies.