There’s something about a campaign cruise that lifts the spirits, and the latest stop on the Fund Britain’s Waterways ‘Navigating for Change’ route has done exactly that as it moves onto the Great Ouse.

All shapes and sizes on the water

Fund Britain’s Waterways shared a lovely glimpse of the GOBA leg of the cruise this week, noting the great variety of craft taking part — a good illustration, they said, of the wide appeal of our waterways. And they’re right. When you see narrowboats, cruisers and traditional craft strung out along the Great Ouse together, you’re reminded that our rivers and canals aren’t the preserve of any one type of boater. They belong to all of us: liveaboards and holidaymakers, paddlers and anglers, walkers on the towpath and the families who simply come to watch the boats go by. You can see the original post over on the campaign’s feed at @FBW_Campaign.

Why Fund Britain’s Waterways matters

Fund Britain’s Waterways is a coalition of well over a hundred organisations speaking up for the hundreds of thousands of people who use and love Britain’s canals and rivers. Its message is a simple one: our waterways need sustainable, long-term government funding if they’re to survive and thrive. Behind every scenic cruise photo lies an ageing network of locks, bridges, embankments and reservoirs that costs real money to maintain — and when that money falls short, it’s closures, breaches and cancelled events that follow.

If days like this on the Great Ouse make you smile, please add your name to the petition at change.org/p/fundbritainswaterways and help spread the word with #FundBritainsWaterways.