Swansea Canal Society

The charity runs regular work parties to maintain and restore the canal in conjunction with Canal and River Trust, and a small canoe hire operation for local groups and families.We also liaise with local government and other relevant bodies.

In the charity's own words, from the register.

In Wales

• Neath Port Talbot
• City of Swansea

The places the charity told the Commission it works in.

In the year ending 5 April 2025, it had income of £749,442 and spent £1,018,386.

Figures as the charity reported them to the Charity Commission. Staff and volunteer numbers are only asked of charities with income over £10,000. A year with no row was not reported.

Separate measures from the charity's own returns and accounts, each with its year. Read them together: no single measure says how well a charity is run.

Income over time

Up 665%, from £97,954 in the year to 5 April 2021 to £749,442 in the year to 5 April 2025.

Spending against income

It spent 136% of its income in the year to 5 April 2025. It spent more than its income in 2 of the 5 years shown.

From the annual returns the charity filed with the Charity Commission. The largest funder comes from its accounts, read by AI.

Government grants in the year ending 5 April 2025: £613,534 from 2 grants. Government contracts: Not reported.

From the charity's annual return to the Charity Commission, which asks every charity with income over £10,000 how much came from government grants and contracts. It does not say which part of government. These totals are separate from the named funders read from its accounts and the grants published on 360Giving, and are not added to them.

Funders that publish to 360Giving list 2 grants to this charity since 2008, worth at least £13,243.

Only funders that publish their grants to 360Giving are included, and many do not. These are amounts funders awarded, which can differ from what the charity received in a given year, so they are shown apart from the accounts figures above.

Public bodies' published spending shows 1 payment to this charity worth £39,848, on 16 February 2023.

Councils and Welsh Government publish what they pay suppliers and grant holders above a threshold, usually £500 for councils and £25,000 for Welsh Government, so smaller payments are missing. A payment is shown only when OpenEconomy matched it to this charity with certainty. These figures come from the payer's records. They are a separate measure from the charity's own accounts, 360Giving grants and its annual return, and are never added to them.

Senedd and Welsh Government records that name this charity, gathered by OpenSenedd. Newest first.

• 29 January 2025

  Named by Mike Hedges in the Senedd

  I also want to outline the good work being done by the Swansea Canal Society. The canal was constructed between 1794 and 1798, running for 16 and a half miles from Swansea to Abercraf. Today, only 5 miles of Swansea canal is fully navigable, from Clydach to Pontardawe and from Pontardawe to Ynysmeud…

  Read the record

• 29 January 2025

  Named by Huw Irranca-Davies in the Senedd

  …champion. There is investment that we can enable, but it's also giving—. As I've outlined, there's the £100,000 that we've provided to the Swansea Canal Society via the brilliant basics fund to make infrastructure improvements at Clydach lock. I've seen it myself up close, it's fantastic to see and…

  Read the record

• 29 January 2025

  Named by Sioned Williams in the Senedd

  …iolch. Last October, I attended the opening of the phase 2 of the Clydach buried lock restoration scheme and the Swansea Canal Centre. The Swansea Canal Society does amazing work to bring this community asset to life. Canals run through many communities in my region, and I've also supported the Tenn…

  Read the record

• 6 December 2023

  Named by Mike Hedges in the Senedd

  …anniversary. Currently, only 5 miles of the Swansea canal is navigable, from Clydach to Pontardawe, and from Pontardawe to Ynysmeudwy. The Swansea Canal Society is working hard to restore the canal, supported by many volunteers. Alongside many Senedd colleagues, I attended the reopening of part of t…

  Read the record

7 trustees run the charity.

• Gordon David WalkerChairAppointed 24 August 2016
• Alan TremlettAppointed 15 July 2019
• James La Trobe-BatemanAppointed 19 May 2026
• John GwalterAppointed 24 August 2016
• John Raymond GravelleAppointed 7 March 2023
• Lance Allan GoodenoughAppointed 1 April 2025
• Sharon Louise Walker BlackfordAppointed 10 January 2023

Trustees are responsible in law for the charity. Names are as they appear on the public register.

Of the last 5 annual returns that were due, 4 arrived by the deadline.

Charities with income over £10,000 send an annual return within 10 months of their year end, and those over £25,000 also send their accounts. Smaller charities only update their income and spending on the register. The dates are when the Commission received each document.

Charity number

1168894

Status

Registered

Registered with the Commission

24 August 2016

Governing document

CIO - Association Registered 24 Aug 2016

Website

www.swanseacanalsociety.comAs the charity gave it on the register.

Council area of its contact address

Swansea

• Register details, income, spending, trustees and filing dates: Charity Commission for England and Wales, register of charities. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 2 November 2026.
• Grants awarded: 360Giving open grants data, from funders that publish there. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 2 November 2026.
• Payments from public bodies: each body's own published spending data, matched to the charity by OpenEconomy. 5 public bodies' data is included so far.
• In the Senedd and Welsh Government: records gathered by OpenSenedd and matched to the charity by OpenEconomy on 5 November 2026.

• This charity on the Charity Commission register
• 360Giving open grants data
• This charity on OpenEconomy

• OpenSenedd: Senedd records that name this charity
• OpenCouncil: Swansea Council's meetings and decisions
• OpenEconomy: Swansea's economy in figures
• OpenSenedd: the Members of the Senedd for Gŵyr Abertawe
• OpenSenedd: the Members of the Senedd for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd