Welcome to The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust's Website. 

Latest update 1 July 2008.

Employment and Volunteering Opportunities

There are a number of opportunities for volunteers as directors of the Trust and its trading subsidiary, Enterprise.  Click here for details.

Renewal Reminders By Email

Did you know you can have your renewal reminders sent by email? Doing so will save the Trust postage and help the environment by reducing the amount of paper used and transported.  To sign up for email reminders send an email to the Administrator at the address on the left from the email account you want the reminders sent to.  Put in the subject line ‘Email Reminders - ' followed by your membership number, a hyphen then your surname for example 'Email Reminders - 9876 - Bloggs'.

The Trust has been in existence for over 40 years. It was formed to restore the, then closed, Kennet & Avon Canal from Reading to Bristol as a "through" navigation and as a public amenity.

Successful fund raising, campaigning and volunteer-work were rewarded when Her Majesty the Queen reopened the canal in 1990.

Since then, in partnership with British Waterways and the riparian local authorities, the Trust has continued to work to safeguard the navigation.

The problem of water shortage has been resolved by a £1 million back-pumping scheme for the Devizes flight. The Kennet & Avon Canal Partnership, of which the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust is a key member, attracted the largest single lottery grant ever to be awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund - £25 million towards a £29 million project, to complete the restoration and to make it operational, sustainable and accessible for the enjoyment of future generations.

The completion of restoration was celebrated in May 2003 with a visit from HRH Prince Charles.

The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust now has three new separate, but complementary, objectives.

• To protect the newly-restored Canal from neglect, abuse and inappropriate development.
• To enhance the Canal, either by the direct application of Trust funds or, more likely, to unlock larger amounts through matched funding.
• To promote the Canal as a magnificent national amenity that is freely available for the enjoyment of all.

The Trust's membership reflects the wide range of leisure activities - boating, cycling, fishing, walking, pursuit of wildlife and heritage interests - that the public can enjoy along the 87 mile length of the Canal.

Together, we are "The Friends of the Kennet and Avon".