Save Our Waterways - The Recruitment Campaign
British Waterways (BW) surveys have shown that there are nearly 300 million vists each year to the 2,200 miles of waterways that they manage.The following table uses BW's 2005 survey to demonstrate that the interests of at least 50% of these users are unrepresented by any user group.
| Type of Use | Number of Visits | % Total Visits | Current User Group Representation |
| Walk, ramble, run for leisure | 116 million | 39.0% | Ramblers, AAA |
| Dog walking | 90 million | 30.3% | |
| To get somewhere else | 41 million | 13.9% | |
| Cycling | 25 million | 8.3% | CTC, Sustrans |
| Boating with engine | 7 million | 2.5% | IWA, AWCC, NABO, RYA, TBA, etc |
| Boating without engine | 2 million | 0.6% | BCU, ARA |
| Visiting specific attraction | 7 million | 2.2% | |
| Other purposes | 5 million | 1.7% | |
| Fishing | 5 million | 1.6% | NFA |
| TOTAL VISITS IN 2005 | 298 million | 100% |
It is clear from the above table that a significant number of users are completely unrepresented. Even amongst those that have good user group representation, it is likely that most users are 'non-specialist'. For example, the family that walks on the towpath for exercise or the cyclists on their way to work are unlikely to be members of user groups like The Ramblers or CTC. We call these non-specialised visitors 'casual users' and we believe they represent 75-90% of all users. Their views on such key local issues as restoration, maintenance, development, heritage, planning, etc. are probably not being made known to those who should be able to take action, particularly local authorities.
Ironically, it is the casual user who benefits most from a thriving waterway and who stands to lose most if their local canal or river fell into disrepair. Casual users are by definition primarily local residents whose communities benefit from the employment, trade and increased property values that are brought to a thriving waterside.
SOW believes that the campaign to ensure the long term future of our inland waterways can only benefit by involving casual users and we ask all waterways supporters - not just our members - to help us distribute posters and flyers in pubs (that'll be fun!) and other waterside locations frequented by the general public. These materials will be supplied free but we would of course welcome any donations towards the costs of printing and distribution. After requesting materials, you will receive an email asking you to confirm that we have received your correct address and requirements
.