Waterway Recovery Group

04/09/2026

And just like that, the WRG Summer Canal Camps are over!

We’re feeling a little bit of the post-Camp blues, but mostly incredibly proud of what our volunteers have achieved over the past few months.

Our final camp of the summer has just wrapped up on the Cotswold Canals where volunteers spent three weeks working on John Robinson Lock. The latest week saw the lock cill laid, the culvert given a new brick face, the original cobbled path uncovered, a new quadrant wall taking shape, coping stones cast and reset, and a huge amount of pointing completed in the lock chamber. Not bad for a week’s work! A huge thank you to the The Cotswold Canals Trust for hosting us!

And that’s just the finale. Across this summer’s Canal Camps, our volunteers have tackled dust, heat, challenging conditions and the inevitable changes of plan, and they’ve kept turning up, getting stuck in and getting the job done.

It has been a fantastic summer, with many young people and DofE participants getting their first taste of canal restoration, alongside many brilliant returning volunteers and leaders. We’ve had plenty of enthusiastic feedback, some helpful suggestions for how we can improve, and hopefully quite a few new canal restoration converts along the way!

The many impressive achievements have also attracted attention from both local and national media, helping to highlight the importance of these restoration projects to stakeholders and funders, and showing just what can be achieved when people come together.

So, a huge THANK YOU to every volunteer, leader and society who has helped make this summer’s Canal Camps happen.

For more updates and reports from this summer Canal Camps, check out Navvies, the WRG magazine, for just £5 a year: https://waterways.org.uk/waterways/sites/waterway-recovery-group/navvies

You can also follow the WRG Facebook group for detailed day-to-day diaries, photos and updates from the Camps: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218205010

A huge well done to everyone who took part!

Here’s to getting our network closer to reconnection, one lock, wall and muddy boot at a time.

26/08/2026

𝐖𝐑𝐆 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲

Join us for the Autumn Leaders Day on Saturday 26 September, 10am–4pm, at Lowsonford Village Hall.

The day is for:
• Volunteers interested in finding out more about canal camp leadership
• Assistant Leaders considering taking the step up to leadership
• Current Leaders, particularly those who are newer to the role

Book your place now! Details and booking link below.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Interested in becoming a WRG Canal Camp Leader?

Following our first Leadership Teams Day earlier this year, Waterway recovery Group is pleased to be running another event this autumn.

When: Saturday 26th September (10:00 to 16:00)
Where: Lowsonford Village Hall, Rookery Ln, Henley-in-Arden, B95 5ER
Who should attend: Volunteers interested in knowing more about canal camp leadership, current assistant leaders considering the step up to leadership, and current leaders who have only recently started their leadership journey.
What we will cover: The agenda is being finalised, but will include undertaking a site visit, site planning, demystifying the paperwork, canal camp logistics, and what to consider away from site.

There is no commitment to become a Leader by attending. It’s simply an opportunity to learn more about the role, ask questions and meet others interested in Canal Camp leadership.

The day is free to attend, but spaces are limited. Find out more and book your place here: https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-get-involved/events/leadership-training-day

We look forward to welcoming aspiring and new Leaders to the day!

25/08/2026

Another great week on the Cotswold Canals!

The WRG Cotswold Canal Camp Week 2 team made excellent progress at John Robinson Lock, with the north wall taking shape and the first reinforced courses going in. Over the week, the team completed more courses, tied in and concreted the final horizontal reinforcement, and made good progress with raking and pointing in the lock chamber.

The walls are now just about ready for the cast copers, while work also continued on the inspection chamber and lid, soil preparation and some light landscaping.

There was time for a little exploring too, including a quick guided tour of the Missing Mile lock site and a lovely evening at Stroud Brewery admiring the new winding hole!

A huge well done to the Week 2 team for all their hard work and the excellent progress made! And judging by the photos, there was plenty of fun and good spirit along the way too.

For the full day-by-day diary and lots more photos from the camp, head over to the WRG page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218205010

Meanwhile, Week 3 is already in full swing! We’ll be sharing more updates from the latest team very soon.

Good luck to everyone on Week 3, and a massive thank you to all our volunteers and camp leaders who have already put so much into this summer’s camps!

10/08/2026

Another two WRG Canal Camps came to an end on Saturday, with a huge thank you to all the volunteers who gave their time and hard work over the past week!

Hanwell Flight Canal Camp, Grand Union Canal

During the second week of the camp, volunteers continued restoration work on the side-pond at Lock 95, including bricklaying, rebuilding sections of the walls, removing damaged brickwork, crack-stitching and pointing.

The team also welcomed visitors including WRG’s Martin Ludgate and Chris Reade, Inspector of Ancient Monuments at Historic England, the main funder of the project.

ITV London also featured the team working at Lock 95, including interviews with two of the volunteers.

For day-by-day updates from the week, check out the WRG Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218205010

Photos from the week will also appear in Navvies, so make sure your subscription is up to date!

Wilts & Berks Canal Camp

Meanwhile, the KESCRG team were at Pewsham on the Wilts & Berks, working primarily on the bottom lock of the Pewsham Flight. The main tasks were starting the foundations for a new lock wing wall and casting new coping stones in concrete.

The work is helping the local branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust continue the restoration of the Pewsham Flight, with the longer-term aim of extending the navigable section through the flight and onwards.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in both camps and helped keep these restoration projects moving forward!

And now, on to the Cotswold Canals!

The WRG team has started the first of three weeks rebuilding the Basin Wall at the bottom of John Robinson Lock. Volunteers will be tackling an interesting mix of work, including the restoration of original walls and the construction of new walls using more modern techniques.

More updates from the Cotswold Canals Camps coming soon!

06/08/2026

WRG are funding a first aid training course again. This will be the normal one day emergency first aid course but with the additional forestry module which now covers tourniquets, haemostatic dressings and tick bites, so it will be a full day.

Location will be Hinton Parva (just off M4 J15) and we are running the course for two or possibly three days (depending if we get enough takers). Dates are 17th, 18th and 19th October.

Anyone wanting a place should email me with a contact number and which of the days of the three they can make, at this stage I will only be acknowledging the request and will sort who is going to be going on which day nearer the time.

Note, following some issues in past years, please ask those who want to go on the course to contact me directly rather than someone in between attempting to "collate" a list.

[email protected]

03/08/2026

Interested in becoming a WRG Canal Camp Leader?

Following our first Leadership Teams Day earlier this year, Waterway recovery Group is pleased to be running another event this autumn.

When: Saturday 26th September (10:00 to 16:00)
Where: Lowsonford Village Hall, Rookery Ln, Henley-in-Arden, B95 5ER
Who should attend: Volunteers interested in knowing more about canal camp leadership, current assistant leaders considering the step up to leadership, and current leaders who have only recently started their leadership journey.
What we will cover: The agenda is being finalised, but will include undertaking a site visit, site planning, demystifying the paperwork, canal camp logistics, and what to consider away from site.

There is no commitment to become a Leader by attending. It’s simply an opportunity to learn more about the role, ask questions and meet others interested in Canal Camp leadership.

The day is free to attend, but spaces are limited. Find out more and book your place here: https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-get-involved/events/leadership-training-day

We look forward to welcoming aspiring and new Leaders to the day!

31/07/2026

After two busy weeks at Darnford Moors, the Lichfield Canal Camp team is getting ready to pack away their boots and tools. A huge thank you to all the volunteers and the Trust for their hard work!

Both teams have made fantastic progress, helping move the project closer to the long-term goal of reconnecting the canal route to Darnford Lane.

Here are some photos from Camp Leader Colin Hobbs, with plenty more brilliant pictures shared by the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust and Court Above The Cut. We highly recommend having a look at the impressive work that’s been carried out over the last two weeks.

Now a big good luck to the Wilts & Berks Canal Camp team starting tomorrow, who are ready to pick up the baton!

12/05/2026

One month to go until the WRG Leadership Teams Day 2026 on Saturday 13th June at Lowsonford Village Hall, B95 5ER.

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a WRG Camp Leader, Assistant Leader or Camp Cook, come and join us for this free training day.

We’re looking forward to a practical and engaging event, bringing together current and prospective Camp Leaders, Assistants and Cooks, alongside those supporting WRG activities and local society representatives.

Spaces are limited, so don’t leave it too late.

To learn more and book your place: https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-get-involved/events/canal-camps-leadership-teams-training-day
or call us: 01494 783453 Ext 607