Hertford and Stortford MP Julie Marson has joined celebrations to mark the Canal & River Trust’s tenth anniversary.
The charity looks after and preserves more than 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales – a network that is used by millions of people. This includes the rivers Lea and Stort.
Mrs Marson joined with 50 other parliamentarians for the celebration and to learn more about its work.
Under the Trust’s stewardship, canals and navigations now have more boats than ever before and are used by more people than at any time in history.
She heard about the continued need for funding and support to safeguard the waterways, with the 250-year-old ageing and vulnerable network exposed to changing weather patterns.
The event also talked about how a more resilient network will help society mitigate the effects of climate change in the years ahead by providing sustainable transport routes into towns and cities, flood mitigation, water transfer, a supply of green energy, and improved biodiversity especially in urban areas.
The environmental and social benefits of our canals and waterways are so huge they are difficult to calculate, so the work of the trust is vitally important if we are to continue to enjoy these amenities and improve our health and wellbeing,” said Mrs Marson.
But we must not take these free blue and green spaces for granted and it was good to hear how the trust is looking after these stretches of water but also how they are threatened by their age and by climate change too.
I look forward to continuing to support the Canal & River Trust as it continues its work to make our waterways accessible and I will be looking to visit its work in the constituency soon."