logo
Share your photos and experiences of using the UK waterways for recreation

Share your photos and experiences of using the UK waterways for recreation

The Guardian12-08-2025
There are hundreds more waterways being used for swimming and boating in England than recorded by the government, data has revealed.
A wide-ranging analysis of the ways that England's waterways are used for recreation by the government has found 3,347 'water recreation locations' in rivers, lakes and seas around the country. These are places where people take part in activities including swimming, rowing and paddleboarding. The Environment Agency had previously identified 342.
Campaigners have been pushing for more rivers and lakes to be designated as bathing waters in order to put pressure on water companies and the government to clean up England's waterways.
We'd like to hear from people about the different water recreation locations you visit and the activities you take part in around England and also other parts of the UK.
Share your photos and experiences of using the UK's waterways for recreation in the form below.
Please include as much detail as possible including location.
Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB.
Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
If you include other people's names please ask them first.
If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

WH Smith shares tumble after £30 million accounting error
WH Smith shares tumble after £30 million accounting error

The Independent

time5 minutes ago

  • The Independent

WH Smith shares tumble after £30 million accounting error

WH Smith has warned its yearly profits will be lower than expected due to an accounting error in the US. Shares in the London -listed travel retailer were down by about a third on Thursday morning. WH Smith said it discovered its trading profit in North America had been overstated by about £30 million when reviewing its finances. The error related to how it calculated the amount of supplier income it received, leading it to be recognised too early. The retailer is now expecting a trading profit for the US of about £25 million for the year to August – a cut from the previous £55 million forecast. As a result, the company lowered its outlook for annual pre-tax profits to around £110 million. The London-listed business incorporates its travel locations, such as shops in airports, train stations and hospitals, which total about 1,300 around the world. Whereas the high street chain of about 480 shops was sold to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital in June. As part of the deal, the WH Smith name will disappear from British high streets and be replaced by the brand, TGJones. The travel locations were not included in the sale and will not be changing. WH Smith shares were down by about 35 per cent in early trading on Thursday.

Italian guide collapses and dies while leading tour in Colosseum amid searing heat
Italian guide collapses and dies while leading tour in Colosseum amid searing heat

The Guardian

time6 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Italian guide collapses and dies while leading tour in Colosseum amid searing heat

Tour guides in Rome have repeated their calls for a rethink of the summer opening hours of some of the city's biggest attractions after one of their colleagues died of a suspected heart attack while showing a group around the Colosseum in baking heat. Giovanna Maria Giammarino, who was 56, collapsed in the amphitheatre at 6pm on Tuesday. Despite the efforts of tourists and the emergency services, she could not be revived and died at the scene. Her death came weeks after the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations warned that 'extreme heat is no longer an exception; it is a new reality that demands attention, adaptation, and solidarity within our profession'. As tributes and condolences poured in, Italy's Certified Tour Guide Association (AGTA) said Giammarino's death was proof of the physical toll that guiding takes on the body, and urged the authorities to extend the Colosseum's opening hours so tours could take place in the cool of the early morning or later in the evening. The Colosseum is currently open from 8.30am until 7.15pm from the end of March to the end of September. 'First of all, the opening hours of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum [which includes the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine Hill] need to change during summer,' AGTA said in a statement posted on social media. 'It's useless to talk about a 'heat emergency' every year as if this were something new: climate change is a fact and for some years, working at the Roman Forum from 10:00 to 4:30pm has been unbearable.' The association said that from the beginning of June to 'at least the end of August', the opening hours of the Colosseum area should run from 7am to 8.15pm. 'For three years, we've been asking for the opening of the whole park to be brought forward to 7am and for closing to be postponed by an hour,' said AGTA. 'These changes would benefit the public health of everyone: visitors, guides and other workers.' The association said that paltry pensions and economic uncertainty had forced many of its members to push themselves and work at an unsustainable pace in order to be able to support their families. '[On Tuesday] a guide left for ever, but in recent years too many have left this activity for other 'safer' and less demanding jobs,' the statement added. 'We need more protection.' The Colosseum's authorities offered their condolences to Giammarino's family and said how much it had appreciated her 'professional dedication', while Italy's culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, said her death 'powerfully underscores the human and professional value of those who, every day, contribute to the protection and preservation of our historical and artistic heritage'. In a gesture of respect and mourning, the Colosseum's lights were turned off at 9pm on Wednesday. Last month, Italy's national tour guide federation, Federagit, also requested that the opening of the Colosseum Archaeological Park be brought forward by an hour. Francesca Duimich, who represents 300 Roman tour guides, said dehydrated tourists often passed out in the summer heat of Rome. 'The forum is a pit; there is no shade, there is no wind,' Duimich told the Associated Press. 'Being there at 1 pm or 2pm in the summer heat means you will feel unwell.'

'We need to keep morale up': InteleTravel to review PlanNet partnership following Sun newspaper sting
'We need to keep morale up': InteleTravel to review PlanNet partnership following Sun newspaper sting

TTG

time29 minutes ago

  • TTG

'We need to keep morale up': InteleTravel to review PlanNet partnership following Sun newspaper sting

by Harry Kemble InteleTravel will review its partnership with the US-headquartered company that recruits agents on its behalf after The Sun newspaper raised concerns about the homeworking outfit's business model. Tricia Handley-Hughes, InteleTravel's UK and Ireland managing director, insisted the agency's partnership with PlanNet Marketing had 'not run its course' but added: 'As any responsible business, we review our contracts from time to time.' An article published by The Sun at the weekend described InteleTravel, which has 35,000 travel agents in the UK and Ireland, as a 'shady firm' that left people who were encouraged to sign up out of pocket. It called InteleTravel a 'side hustle', saying: 'Those at the bottom are rarely breaking even,'adding it made it 'hard' for agents to leave the company. PlanNet Marketing, which operates as a separate business from InteleTravel, helps recruit agents to join its ranks. InteleTravel's chief executive James Ferrara said in 2022 a 'recruiting fee' is paid to PlanNet 'every time they get someone'. 'We want to focus on what we do – we're a host agency that helps travel agents run their business,' Handley-Hughes continued. 'We now have to see what the effects are [following The Sun story]. The Sun has only focused on the UK business. "Our relationship with PlanNet has not run its course, but discussions at group level need to take place. We need to keep morale up." Handley-Hughes revealed she had been buoyed by an 'outpouring' of support after she returned home from Virgin Voyages' First Mates Day onboard its new ship, Brilliant Lady, in Portsmouth on Tuesday (19 August). 'I received loads of supportive messages from our supplier partners saying 'I bet you've had a tough day', 'don't take it to heart', 'the business is amazing' and 'we love our partnership with you'. The Sun story has made me focus on what I want to do,' she explained. 'We support agents from day one' On Friday (22 August), InteleTravel will finalise a new onboarding programme, which will aim to help new-to-travel recruits get to grips with their new careers and the travel industry. Currently, new agents have to wait until the next induction day – called "Dream Maker" days internally – which run every two months. However, Handley-Hughes revealed new agents will now receive tailored support 'from day one' once the programme rolls out next month. 'We're finalising the last piece of the jigsaw with our new onboard programme,' she said. 'The programme takes our new-to-travel advisors through the first three months of being in business," Handley-Hughes continued. "There are checklists, signposting, tips about how to avoid pitfalls and daily emails from head office. It's just another channel of training. 'We already run our Dream Maker induction days every two months, but instead of waiting two months for these to happen, our new agents will get support from day one. It's quite intensive, but it's aimed at helping those who are new to travel.' Handley-Hughes also revealed InteleTravel will host its first-ever agent achievement awards at its annual conference in Portugal's Porto next month. 'We will be celebrating the success of our agents," she said. "Each time our agents reach a tier they will recognised in some shape or form. There will be trophies and plaques,' she said. New homeworking forum Advantage Travel Partnership chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes will join InteleTravel on 1 September as its new commercial director. Handley-Hughes told TTG Cookes' appointment would afford her more time to focus on setting up a homeworking forum with other travel agencies. 'I've not been able to make any progress with a homeworking forum until the new structure is in place and our new commercial director has arrived,' she explained. "Once they're in place they will allow me to focus more strategically. Despite [ The Sun article], I've got good relationships with the smaller independent homeworking agencies. I think that they will welcome a discussion under Chatham House Rules about how to overcome our challenges.' Furthermore, she confirmed she had contacted the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Abta following The Sun article. Asked why she had contacted the industry bodies, Handley-Hughes said: 'I wanted to reassure and remind them that despite the article, we are totally professional and compliant. " The Sun created a damage limitation exercise so we had to complete a box-ticking exercise and contact each of our audiences – suppliers, regulators, agents and trade press – to keep morale up. There are thousands of InteleTravel agents who are keeping positive even though these kinds of stories do affect morale.' InteleTravel UK joined Abta in March 2019 after a two-year process requiring the company to prove compliance with industry regulations, including providing training for its members onfinancial protection. About 18 months later, InteleTravel was granted its own Atol licence, and went on to start selling its own Atol protected packages several months later. At the time, Handley-Hughes said the seven-month delay was 'a strategic decision' to ensure the products were 'carefully identified' and tested. Previous Article Blanket travel restrictions 'do more harm than good' – UNWTO Next Article APT parachutes Travelmarvel experts into its call centre as brand launched as standalone entity

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store