Not every waterway story is a happy one, and this week brought a worrying update from the River Cam in Cambridge.
Funding pressures on the River Cam
Over on the Fund Britain’s Waterways Facebook group, Sue O’Hare shared a BBC News article reporting that an embankment collapse in Cambridge has added to the structural problems already affecting Jesus Green Lock, and highlights the ongoing funding issues for the River Cam. It is a familiar and sobering pattern: much-loved stretches of water, right in the heart of a famous city, quietly falling behind on the maintenance they need — with the risk that repairs only get harder and more expensive the longer they wait.
You can see Sue’s original post, with the shared BBC article here
Why the campaign matters
Stories like this are exactly why Fund Britain’s Waterways came together. It is a coalition of more than 160 organisations speaking up for the hundreds of thousands of people who use and love Britain’s canals and rivers — boaters, walkers, punters, rowers, anglers and the communities built around the water. The River Cam’s troubles are a reminder that our waterways cannot be maintained on goodwill alone; they need reliable, sustainable, long-term government funding. Without it, embankment collapses and failing locks will keep making the headlines.
If you care about places like the River Cam, please add your name by signing the petition at change.org/p/fundbritainswaterways, and help spread the word with #FundBritainsWaterways.
