Man using spray cans to paint a mural of a kingfisher and wildflowers on a brick wall along a towpath

Arts & Culture on the Waterways

Our waterways are special places for people, nature and the arts to flourish. We're inviting local communities to join us with our wide-ranging arts programme.

Connecting communities

Our canals offer a vital source of creative inspiration and wellbeing for many people up and down the country.

Together with the Poetry Society, we introduced our new canal laureate, Roy McFarlane, for 2022. We're also continuing our Hinterlands project and showcasing more street art transformations.

Walking on Water

Cara Thompson is a Nottingham-based poet and writer who we've worked with to lead community poetry workshops in Nottingham, exploring the cultural heritage of the city's canals and rivers.

Walking on Water is a piece that was specially commissioned to celebrate the city's waterside roots and the enduring appeal of the Nottingham & Beeston Canal 250 years after it was built.

Read the film transcript
Once upon a time, in a kingdom not so far away Just a hop from Castle Rock and 20 skips beyond the caves Lies the city where people walked on water.
Before the age of bricks and mortar, these liquid highways roam, Sloshed their foam through every hillside Licked the sides of every home, Pulsing through the county’s heart like a sparkling silver vein, Every man, woman and child had known its value and its name.
Many years passed by, Soon came the age of bricks and mortar. The city grew, and many soon forgot the age of water.
But if you listen closely, beneath the babble of the town You’ll hear the ancient hum Of the Nottingham Canal.
Cast your eye between these towpaths, Peek between the concrete towers, You’ll hear these turquoise corridors reminding you they’re ours. That no matter how we shift and change, Caught in the tides of life, They will keep a steady course for us While hidden in plain sight.
So next time you’re feeling lost and find your strength begins to falter, Cast your eye to the canals, And know you too can walk on water.