The Scottish Waterways Trust was an independent
registered charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a ch ...
, established as part of
The Waterways Trust
The Waterways Trust was an independent registered charity, established in 1999, that worked with partners to see the waterway network in England, Wales and Scotland supported, valued and enjoyed by a wide audience. The Trust was formerly registe ...
in 2000. In 2012 The Waterways Trust merged its operations in England and Wales with the
Canal & River Trust
The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...
, and the organisation in Scotland became an independent charity.
Foundation
In 2009, sailing and marine activities in Scotland were in relatively good health despite
a severe worldwide economic crisis, but the British Waterways Trust was already consulting about changing from being under state control to trust arrangments. Responsibility for Scotland's inland waterways is a devolved issue and British Waterways Scotland received grant funding from the Scottish Government, with two members of the board being appointed by Scottish ministers. The formal separation of responsibility for Scottish waterways from that for England and Wales was described at the time as "mak
ngfor very challenging times".
Projects
The Trust set up the ''Canal College'' skills training programme in Falkirk and Edinburgh for young people aged 16-25 years of age which ran 2013–2015, which had helped 162 participants by February 2016.
It was recognised as an innovative scheme with a positive impact. The ''Canal College 2'' was a larger programme based in
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
which launched in 2017 to run for a period three years.
This initiative provided education and training in canal skills to unemployed young people.
The first participants completed the scheme later that year. Previously Waterways Trust Scotland had been involved in smaller scale project work in the Falkirk area to increase employability.
The Trust organised volunteers to clear and maintain canals.
It helped teach volunteers some traditional lock-keeping skills and built heritage skills. It worked on
regeneration
Regeneration may refer to:
Science and technology
* Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs
* Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis
...
projects and tourism and heritage.
It supported an art exhibition on the theme of canals.
The Trust carried out research into the benefits of the Scottish canal network.
End of the Trust
In March 2019 the charity disclosed that it faced a severe financial situation and was to be making employees redundant.
Within a couple of months there was confirmation that the charity had ceased to operate, with some of their activities, including the canal college and Canal Heritage work to be taken forward by environmental charity,
Keep Scotland Beautiful
Keep Scotland Beautiful is an environmental charity based in Scotland, which aims “to make Scotland a cleaner, greener and more sustainable place to live, work and visit.” The organisation campaigns and educates on a range of environmental iss ...
.
See also
*
List of waterway societies in the United Kingdom
This List of waterway societies in the United Kingdom is a list of links to waterway societies, charities, trusts, associations, clubs and other non-governmental waterway organisations, concerned with the restoration, regeneration and use of t ...
References
External links
archiveof www.scottishwaterwaystrust.org.uk/
*https://www.oscr.org.uk/about-charities/search-the-register/charity-details?number=43477
Scottish CanalsInterview with Chief Executive, Karen Moore
2017
{{Authority control
Transport charities based in the United Kingdom
Waterways organisations in Scotland
2019 disestablishments in Scotland
Charities based in Scotland