Canal & River Trust

The Canal & River Trust is a nonprofit organization representing the historic inland waterways in England and Wales managed and preserved in the succession of state authority British Waterways since July 2012. The Trust is therefore responsible for 3,450 miles of canals, rivers, harbors and water reservoirs, museums, archives and England's third largest inventory of historic monuments.

Headquartered in Milton Keynes. The area of ​​responsibility covers England and Wales. Approximately 2,000 people are employed and supported by as many volunteers.

The inland waterways of England and Wales arose primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries and were the transport routes of the Industrial Revolution in England. Never modernized they are - although public transport routes - has become a national open-air museum, where takes place since the 60s of the last century in essentially only recreational boating with the so-called narrowboats.

The management of this heritage of the industrial revolution by a government authority caused annual losses of a significant double-digit million amount. To alleviate public budgets permanently transferred the British state inland waterways, together with all associated equipment to the nonprofit Canal & River Trust, among others to perform its duties also solicit donations and can use volunteers. But occurs also continues to be a partial government funding for the first fifteen years.

This is a tradition in the UK, just think of the National Trust, which preserves as a private, nonprofit organization for over one hundred years of success historic castles or even large parts of the English coast.