Wey & Arun Canal Trust

13/05/2026

A great offer from Fluid Adventures if you haven’t got your own small boat to join in our Arun small boat rally on Sunday …….

🚣‍♀️ Thinking of taking part in the Small Boat Rally at Pulborough this weekend? 🌿☀️

Organised by the Wey & Arun Canal Trust, it’s a brilliant chance to enjoy the beautiful river Arun, meet fellow paddlers and soak up a fun, community atmosphere.

Bring your own kayak or canoe, or borrow one from us - we're offering a 20% discount on hires at Pulborough this Sunday (17th May) for anyone taking part. Enter code RALLY20 when booking to claim.

And after your paddle, why not pop into The Riverside Pulborough for some well-earned refreshments and a catch-up with fellow adventurers! ☕🍰

A lovely way to spend a spring weekend outdoors - hopefully we’ll see you on the water!

04/05/2026

Still time to register for our River Arun small boat rally

https://weyarun.org.uk/backdrop/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=3597

01/05/2026

More great progress at Rooks Hill. The bridge is starting to look like a bridge !

We have to confess the first photo has used AI to remove the scaffolding that is still covering the bridge! It does however let us see how the finished bridge will look.

The formers supporting the concrete bridge deck have been removed and our volunteers are busy filling the gabion cages on the south side of the bridge. Bricklaying has now reached parapet height.

26/04/2026

Our annual Sponsored Walk takes place on Sunday June 7th. The Walk starts and finishes at Brinsbury College, 2 miles south of Billingshurst and is a 13 mile route with a free lunch at Fittleworth Village Hall (after 6 miles). Refreshment stops also provided.

We also offer 50/50 sponsorship for Teams where we are happy to split funds with another charity or organisation.

Head to our website for further information and registration.

The walk will take in views of the North and South Downs, the ancient bridge at Stopham and part of the southern section of the canal.

A great day out and a fun way to raise money to maintain and restore the canal.

https://weyarun.org.uk/backdrop/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=3626

19/04/2026

Saturday was a special day at Rooks Hill where we were able to say thank you to our members and supporters who have made this restoration project possible and to our volunteers who have carried out all the design and construction work.

We also welcomed Sir Jeremy Hunt MP who kindly joined us to lay special bricks to recognise the contribution of two individuals that made this project possible and Bramley Councillor, Jane Austin. Two named bricks were laid for John Compton who kindly sold the Trust the land and Martin Foster who left us a generous legacy.

Our members were able to follow the route the canal will take down from the restored canal in Birtley down to the site of the new Rooks Hill bridge and have an escorted tour to see the progress on the bridge and canal channel.

Our Appeal total has now passed £233,000 leaving us just under £20,000 to fully fund phase I of this project which we expect to complete this summer.

Can to support our work by becoming a member or making a donation to the Rooks Hill Appeal?

https://weyarun.org.uk/backdrop/memform

https://weyarun.org.uk/backdrop/rooks-hill-appeal

13/04/2026

Fancy a Cream Tea ? Our next Cream Tea cruise on Friday 24th April still has some tables available so book now before it sells out.

https://weyarun.org.uk/civicrm/boat-trips

09/04/2026

Another busy week at Rooks Hill with more legato blocks being placed by the bridge and more Gabon cages filled to form part of the east canal bank south of the bridge.

Once our scaffolding contractor has raised the scaffolding on the bridge, we can continue with the bricklaying. Also lots of earthwork to complete on the West Bank and do the towpath before phase I is completed this summer.

29/03/2026

A busy weekend at ROOKS HILL with a team of visiting volunteers. The Newbury Working Party Group started a four day camp on Friday. The team have been progressing brickwork on the bridge and culvert head walls, putting in a concrete base ready for more legato blocks along with bank building and profiling.

22/03/2026

Make your family Easter extra special by booking one of our Easter Cruises. Ticket includes a hot drink and a Hot Cross bun for adults and a soft drink and Easter biscuit for children. You could also combine a cruise with a visit to the wonderful Onslow Arms pub and take in the canal side views.

Book trips on our website. £13 per person April 3rd - 6th

https://weyarun.org.uk/civicrm/boat-trips

23/01/2026

Great progress made on the Rooks Hill bridge this week with the bridge deck formwork taking shape.

Despite all the rain, our hardy volunteers were able to position and build the arch formwork onto which concrete will be poured to form the bridge deck. Shuttering on the sides and ends required to complete the form ready for a pour next month.