In the final episode of our first series of CanalCast, Louis looks at how the Canal & River Trust manages an18th-century network in a 21st-century world. Trust experts explain how we plan and prioritise the maintenance work on our waterways and the challenges we face keeping an ageing network operating smoothly for thousands of boaters and millions of visitors. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

In this episode, Louis discusses the three ages of the canals and how, at over 200-years-old, our canals are still operational and working harder than ever before. Trust experts discuss how we can keep our industrial heritage alive and well through preservation work, even with its challenges and complications, and how our collections and museums keep canal stories from the past alive.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

This episode looks at the boats and boaters that are the lifeblood of our canals. Louis discovers how boaters helped to rescue our canals and the vital role they play in helping us all enjoy the canals today. He discovers how our team of experts look after the boating community; from how we work hard every day to keep our canals and locks open for everyone, to supporting the wellbeing of live aboard boaters. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

In episode three, Louis discovers why it’s so important to look after the water that runs through all 2,000 miles of our canals - where it comes from, where it goes and how we can look after this precious resource as climate change brings us scorching summers and wetter winters. Louis talks with experts from the Trust about the reservoirs our canals depend on and some of the innovative and smart ways we use the water in our canals to make a more sustainable future for us all. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

In our second episode, we explore the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time by water. We look at how now, more than ever, our canals and rivers are helping provide solutions to the health crisis we are facing. We discover how vital our waterways were during the lockdowns and we find out about some of the projects we are working on in partnership to help restore both the physical and the mental health of the nation in the months to come. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

With nature in decline, Louis talks to members of our environment team to discuss the wildlife in our canals and on our towpaths and riverbanks. As well as finding out how we're helping nature to recover, Louis hears how these blue and green corridors connect nature up around the country and how they help give people a precious connection to wildlife too. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

CanalCast is our podcast series where we discuss the big issues we're helping to tackle. From our health and wellbeing to our economy, from our city spaces to wildlife recovery and climate change, we’ll discover the critical role canals play in shaping all of our futures. We'll also explore just how vital and vulnerable Britain’s inland waterways really are. Joining host Louis Howell, a Canal & River Trust Council member and Chair of our Youth Engagement Advisory Group, we’ll be virtually travelling around all 2,000 miles of our canal network. Louis will catch up with our experts ..read more