The Friends of Exeter Ship Canal Heritage Harbour Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
In September 2025 the former unincorporated group Friends of the Ship Canal (FESC) agreed to become a CIO at a special general meeting. This status will open up opportunities for us to develop the Heritage Harbour (this extends to the whole of the canal from the basin to the Turf Hotel) through developing initiatives and seeking grants.
The aims and objectives set out below for the original FESC remain, but we now aim to recruit more members and trustees to develop a Exeter Heritage Harbour Partnership and to support work and activity advocated by the Heritage Harbour Trust that developed this international initiative across England and Wales https://www.maritimeheritage.org.uk/heritage-harbours/about-heritage-harbours
The original aims of the Friends of Exeter Ship Canal
-
Conserve and improve the historic Canal, its waterfront and its wider environment from the Canal Basin to the Exe Estuary for everyone to enjoy now and in the future
-
Breathe new life into the Canal by encouraging and supporting boat users to navigate and enjoy the waterway, and supporting provision for access, moorings and services
-
Promote the Canal and its environs as a facility for everyone and an amenity to be enjoyed, valued and conserved sensitively for the local community and residents
-
Monitor projected changes to the Canal, its Basin and its wider environment
-
Liaise, co-operate and assist with maintenance and restoration
-
Organise activities and encourage participation and volunteering through work parties, special events, talks, socials, cruises, publicity, and fundraising for projects
-
Enhance and protect the ecology, wildlife and habitats of the Canal and its environs
-
Stimulate public interest in the Canal, its buildings, its history and its future
-
Provide a forum for the assembly and focus of views of all people interested in the Canal and its heritage and provide advocacy and publicity.