IWA TV – live streaming for the inland waterways

A waterway webinar presentation by Audrey Smith OBE.

In the waterway webinar recording, Audrey talks about three ground-breaking campaigns that had widespread benefits for the UK’s inland waterways. These include the restoration of the Rochdale Canal; saving the Anderton Boat Lift; and opening up the Manchester Ship Canal to leisure boats.

Audrey has been actively volunteering with IWA since the 1970s, is a former IWA National Chairman, and current IWA Vice President. Audrey is still involved in the restoration of the northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal.

A presentation by Mark Langley, Waterways World’s Technical Editor; with his background in physical sciences and the marine industry he casts a critical eye over boats and equipment, as well as advising boatbuilders and fitters.


Mark runs the Crick Boat Show seminar programme covering a wide range of topics including designing, buying and maintaining boats. Mark’s own boat is based on the Aire & Calder. He tries to use it as much as possible in-between spending time on other people’s craft.

Waterside developments throughout the country are an increasingly attractive proposition to both buyers and planning authorities.

Similar initiatives across Europe have led to a new designation – that of Heritage Harbours and Ports – where sensitive development of often lovely historic buildings, land, moorings and facilities can benefit areas in terms of tourism, commercial investment and residential desirability. These schemes bring together councils, developers and navigation authorities with local businesses and the boating community to recognise the heritage value of a harbour or port. One of the main community benefits is the continued public access to the waterside aligned with the very attractive ongoing benefit which is the protection of our Maritime Heritage.

Maldon & Heybridge on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, a waterway managed by IWA subsidiary Essex Waterways, is heading towards being named as one of the country’s first heritage harbours.

Find out more about this initiative from Brian Corbett (UK Heritage Harbour Initiative) and Andrea Raiker (chair of the Maldon and Heybridge Heritage Harbour Association).

Three business owners representing three very different hire boat businesses joined IWA’s Chairman Paul Rodgers for a chat.


2020 has been a year of two halves and nobody expected the boost to business that hire boat companies experienced as soon as lockdown lifted. What does 2021 have in store for our holidays and how is the industry changing?