Waterways Renaissance Awards 2010

Waterways Trust's Annual Awards Evening 2010
By Mena Farag, Waterways Action Squad Volunteer

17 March saw the culmination of the Waterways Renaissance Awards 2010, an event to document and commend all the hard work and positive changes made by groups and projects across the UK in order to improve the waterways in our country. The successes of individual projects were acknowledged during an enjoyable evening, during which a delicious meal was served followed by an inspirational awards ceremony.

Jim Hancock hosted the event which started with a few short speeches by presenters whom thanked the audience for attending, before dinner was served. Whilst dining, guests had the opportunity to enjoy spectacular views of the River Irwell. The city of Salford was quiet but beautiful at night, and the view from the windows of The Lowry made the perfect setting for the Awards. The meal itself was well presented and was a delightful bonus for the evening.

The Award assessment process was chaired by Sir Peter Soulsby, Labour MP for Leicester South, who opened the ceremony. His knowledge and passion for the regeneration of the UK's canals and rivers was evident through his enthusiasm, which served to bring the ceremony on with style.

The first award went to the Lough Neagh Regeneration Programme, for Area Based Regeneration. Lough Neagh is the largest body of water in the UK, and up till recently was not used to its full potential. Now, you will find a warm community feel in the atmosphere and find many activities and clubs to get involved in at the Lough.

Next was the award for Community, which went to Middlewich Vision for transforming the town from a sleepy spot on the map to the 'volunteering capital of the world' as it is now fondly referred to. Middlewich is a beautiful town which has recently seen a rise in trade and community involvement that has served to change the lives of citizens and create a sense of place for all.

Liverpool Canal Link walked away with the award for Design and Construction. Their winning project saw a sizeable £22m invested in reconstructing a connection from Stanley Lock flight to Canning Dock, which will allow travellers to cross England by waterways once more. The finish of the design is exceptional, and sets a fine example of what teamwork and imagination can achieve.

The people behind Action Outdoors were happily surprised when the name of their project was announced as the winner for the category of Education and Learning. Their aims were simple - to educate young people and to get them outdoors! This was accomplished via their Outdoors Learning Centre, situated on the bank of the Union Canal in Falkirk, in which people of all ages were welcome to get involved doing a variety of healthy and fun activities, make new friends, and widen their horizons with unique experiences.

The award for Historic Environment was presented to 'Railway on the Water - Relaunched!', a project which restored compartment boats, known as Tom Puddings, to their original grandness and simultaneously restore understanding of heritage and culture in those who became involved. The aim was to help the communities to understand the importance of using the Yorkshire Waterways as a system of export to London and other places.

For the category of Flood Risk Management the winners were the Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme. Their work has achieved investment to the river, which in turn protects businesses in the area from risk of flood. The alterations brightened a derelict area whilst creating a refuge for wildlife and a space for education for the local community.

The panel were stumped when it came to picking a solid winner for the category of Innovation, and instead paid tribute to two individual projects. These were the Kings Lock Officer Centre and Lock Office Extension, and the Porter's Lock Canoe Fishway. Both of these projects demonstrated innovative thinking and exceptional imagination in developing useful solutions to challenges.

The Trinity Broads Restoration project walked away with the award for Natural Environment, an important category in that the winners had certainly done their part to protect the environment and contribute to keeping our planet safe and clean. The project encouraged environmentally friendly use of the water, look after plant and fish species, and encourage local involvement in restoration, and continue to promote tourism in the area.

The Partnership award went to Pride in our Promenades, a project that worked towards enhancing public usage of the Mersey Waterfront. Working together certainly achieves more, and there is no better example than the programme that saw investment in the promenades in order to promote local interest and encourage people to use the waterfront for a number of enjoyable activities.

The Great Glen Ways Initiative was the proud winner of the Recreation and Tourism category. This award is given out to schemes that enhance the use of waterways for recreation, and the winners without doubt deserved their prize. The project had succeeded in helping locals to interpret the Great Glen Ways positively and to encourage more tourism by reinventing the area, making it more attractive and suitable for recreational use.

The final category was Strategy and Masterplanning, and the winner was the Erewash Canal Access Strategy and Development Plan. The aim of the project was to unlock the potential of the Erewash Canal as a fantastic leisure destination in the Midlands, which was achieved through a number of small projects that worked towards increasing access for the community and promoting the Canal as a leisure and tourism destination.

An award for Outstanding Achievement was given to the Lough Neagh Regeneration Project, with the mention that the project could have actually won in a number of categories and so was more than deserving of the title. Gerry Darby said that it was "unbelievable to win" and ended by encouraging people to visit the wonderful place that is Lough Neagh, claiming his prize to cheers and applause from an elated audience.

The night ended on a high note, with everybody engaging in excited conversation and posing for photographs with their proud teams whilst showing off their hard-earned award certificates. Overall, the ceremony went smoothly and everybody walked away with a deep sense of achievement and enough motivation to see them through the year, with the promise of a big return in 2011!

The Waterways Renaissance Awards 2011 will open for entries this summer