British Marine Inland Association

The British Marine Inland Association was established in late 2024 following the merger of two existing groups: British Marine Inland Boating and British Marine Inland Boat Building.

This merger was the culmination of 18 months of careful planning and discussions to ensure a smooth and balanced transition. The goal was to create an equal partnership rather than one association dominating the other.

The merger made practical sense, as a significant number of members already belonged to both associations. These members included boat builders, hire operators, suppliers, and other businesses across the inland waterways sector with direct interest in the facilities, quality, safety and accessibility of our inland waterways. Given that many members are individuals or SMEs, maintaining two separate associations often stretched resources and hampered best-efforts by the committees.

By uniting under a single association, members can now benefit from having an increased impact and a more unified voice in the industry.

Since the merger, the newly formed association now totals 138 members, welcoming a diverse range of businesses from across the inland waterways sector. The consolidation has eliminated any ambiguity around which association a particular business ought join and has clearly expanded networking opportunities while maintaining a clear focus on the inland leisure marine sector.

The merger has also strengthened the association’s influence. A single, unified group can now more effectively present issues to the British Marine Council and advocate for the sector when British Marine engages with government.

The transition has been guided by experienced leadership. Having served on both predecessor associations and recently stepped down from the British Marine Board, I was asked to Chair the new association. Both previous Chairs now serve as Vice Chairs, ensuring continuity and balance.

The committee currently comprises around 20 members, as most individuals from the previous associations’ committees retained their roles. While this makes for a larger-than-average committee, it provides an opportunity to establish dedicated working groups that focus on specific issues and report back to the main committee. We discussed and agreed on this format during our inaugural committee meeting in December, where we also had the opportunity to comment on the operational documents aligned with British Marine's broader framework, which has recently been introduced to ensure consistency across associations.

Key areas of focus for British Marine Inland include maintaining strong relationships with navigation authorities like the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.

We’ve also formed a technical sub-committee to keep members informed about legislative changes, emerging technologies, and how these may impact market developments.

The changes to inheritance tax affecting business property relief in the recent Budget will have direct implications for our sector, in particular for marinas, so we’re writing letters to our MPs to highlight the impact on our businesses. We also intend to collaborate with The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) to leverage their expertise in supporting such businesses as they navigate these changes.

The inland sector faced several challenges in 2024, which we hope to move forwards from for a stronger year in 2025. Prolonged heavy rainfall led to some canal and river closures, which disrupted business operations. Additionally, economic uncertainty stemming from a change of government and hesitations around large expenditures, such as boats, holidays and so on, slowed industry growth. However, with the government’s recent changes to pensions, we’re optimistic that consumers will be more inclined to spend on big ticket aspirational items like canal boats or inland waterways holidays in 2025. Overall, we are working towards, and hopeful of, a more positive year ahead.

To help ensure success for our sector, a key mission for the Inland association is to raise the profile of the inland waterways sector. A dedicated working group is collaborating with British Marine's marketing team to develop a strategy and identify opportunities for increased visibility. For instance, 2024 saw canal boats showcased at the Southampton International Boat Show for the first time - this was a very well-received initiative which we plan to expand on in 2025.

We’ll also continue hosting monthly online drop-in clinics which we know are highly valued by our members. These hour-long sessions – usually held towards the end of the workday for everyone’s convenience - provide a relaxed and informal space for members to network, receive industry updates, and flag issues directly to me as Chair and to other committee members. Everyone is encouraged to join and share their thoughts and insights.

Succession planning is another priority as we are aiming to ensure the committee remains robust and forward-thinking to make the most of the clean slate we have at the moment. Fresh faces and ideas are always welcome, so we invite anyone interested in joining the committee to attend a meeting (either hybrid or in-person) to see how we operate. If this interests you, please email British Marine Inland Association Executive, Lisa Jupp, for details: ljupp@britishmarine.co.uk.

We are also thrilled to announce the return of the Inland Conference, the highlight event for our sector. Scheduled for 13 November 2025 and taking place at the iconic Black Country Living Museum, this conference promises to be both engaging and insightful. We encourage everyone to save the date!

About Ed

The Chair of the newly formed British Marine Inland association, Ed Helps is a non-executive director of ABC Leisure Group for whom he has worked for over 25 years, following a wide range of management roles with The AA prior to that, which spanned two decades. Ed’s original love of the water came through his early days spent exploring the UK’s rivers as a canoeist and has led to an ongoing passion for the UK’s inland waterways and its community. A close involvement with British Marine has seen him sit on several committees, and most recently he has just stepped down from a six-year tenure as a member of the British Marine Board.