Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18Canals and waterways Many of our canals were built at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Today, they provide a direct connection to our rich heritage, as well as providing a habitat for wildlife and tranquil place to relax and have fun. Living waterways and rivers transform places and enrich lives and the Green Flag Award provides independent verification that they are being maintained to a standard of which everyone can be proud. Benefits • Gain national recognition for providing a well-managed waterway for the public • Encourage increased use of rivers and waterways for leisure activities • Preserve the historic importance and heritage of an area • Work to a framework for effective management • Strengthen your applications for third-party funding Macclesfield Canal, Cheshire The Macclesfield Canal runs for 26 miles from Marple to Hall Green in Cheshire. It was opened in 1831 and is managed by the Canal & River Trust, which took over 2,000 miles of waterway assets from British Waterways in 2012. The Trust identified the Green Flag Award as the best national award to validate the delivery of its values when it was formed and decided to apply. In 2015, the canal became the first full waterway to achieve Green Flag Award status, and the uniqueness of the achievement gave it considerable media coverage. The Trust also found that the Award has deepened existing stakeholder relationships and opened ways to develop new ones. In their feedback report on the Macclesfield Canal, the judges said: “There is a developing sense of a genuine joint effort between the Trust and the community in looking after the Macclesfield Canal. The importance of both the built and natural heritage of the waterways are now high on the agenda. The Trust is putting much effort into developing community engagement with the waterways. This includes a number of volunteer work groups and adoption schemes.” “This is a fantastic achievement for the Trust and the Manchester & Pennine Waterway Partnership, and helps to set new standards of excellence across our entire canal network. Our aim is to encourage other canals to take up the challenge now and to seek Green Flag Award status via the same rigorous assessment process.” Richard Parry, Canal & River Trust Peak Forest Canal Image by Arthur Procter 11