Out Commitments to Volunteers

Our volunteering aims

We aim to offer and support a wide range of high quality volunteering opportunities, either through third party groups or directly recruited. We aim to increase involvement in our waterways by people who live and work around them to increase awareness and their sense of ownership of them.

The benefits of volunteering on our waterways

• Local people becoming involved with their waterway and influencing its conservation
• Increased understanding of the waterway network and its importance to local communities
• Increasing long term waterway sustainability and public support for its protection
• A mutual increase in our knowledge and capability

British Waterways' commitment to volunteers

• To involve volunteers in safe and fulfilling waterway related activities, creating an environment whereby volunteers can raise their skills base and acquire new skills
• To support, manage, and resource increasing volunteer involvement in a consistent way
• To understand and value the reasons why volunteers become involved in the waterway network
• To encourage, train and support all British Waterways employees in working with and valuing volunteering
• To recognise the volunteers' role in supporting and protecting the waterway network
• To regularly monitor, evaluate and report on levels of volunteer involvement

The value of volunteering to the waterways

We attract around 15,000 volunteering days every year, equal to a relative value of over £1 million.

We recognise that it was worth so much more. From research we learnt of the satisfaction these volunteers achieved. We know these volunteers know more about the waterways, how it is managed and about our organisation as a result, and that they are likely to return to get involved again and would recommend us to friends and family. The volunteers were motivated by doing something positive, by meeting new people people and by learning new skills.

Without the volunteers on the working boat in the Midlands, we wouldn't have reached the 2000 people who saw and heard about these boats that are rich in local heritage. We wouldn't have been able to restore all of the locks on the Droitwich Canals and work with so many local schools. These volunteers all express an increased sense of ownership and responsibility to help ensure that their local waterway is recognised within their communities.