You are Here: Home » News » Main News » Local volunteers encouraged to swap lockdown for ‘locking down’ as canal charity prepares for bumper summer of boating
Local volunteers encouraged to swap lockdown for ‘locking down’ as canal charity prepares for bumper summer of boating Date published: 12 March 2021
You can become a volunteer lock keeper
Waterways and wellbeing charity, the Canal and River Trust, has launched a campaign to recruit more volunteers to take on the iconic role of lock keeper as it prepares for a busy year on the North West’s waterways.
With coronavirus restrictions scheduled to ease over the coming months, and more people expected to be taking boating holidays in this country, the charity is appealing for volunteers to help keep North West waterways - including at Diggle Lock Flight in the Saddleworth - running smoothly.
Dredging included in the North West waterways project February 23, 2021, by Zlatan Hrvacevic
Canal & River Trust will invest £15 million this winter in the North West, carrying out essential repairs, upgrades and maintenance work.
As part of the four-month programme, which is due to finish in mid-March, the expert engineering teams are replacing worn-out lock gates, dredging waterways and carrying out a host of tasks to keep the 200-year old network in good working order.
Work has included major projects on the Ashton, Huddersfield Narrow, Lancaster, Leeds & Liverpool, Rochdale and Shropshire Union canals, plus the Ribble Link, near Preston.
Daniel Greenhalgh, North West regional director for the Canal & River Trust, said: “With many of the regions’ canals constructed over two centuries ago, it’s important to stay on top of regular maintenance and keep the waterways in good condition. We always try to minimise inconvenience to bo
First-time buyers who couldn t afford their dream starter home reveal how they saved money by spending £42,000 buying and renovating a houseboat instead.
Small business owner Sylvie Doleman, 25, and her boyfriend Ben Lount, 25, a joiner, wanted to move in together but said they couldn t afford a mortgage on a house and didn t want to live in a flat.
Instead the Derbyshire couple bought a 55ft narrowboat for £18,000 and spent a further £24,000 finishing and decorating it over the course of a year, keeping costs down by sourcing second-hand items and doing most of the handiwork themselves.
Small business owner Sylvie Doleman, 25, and her boyfriend Ben Lount, 25, a joiner, wanted to move in together but said they couldn t afford a mortgage on a house and didn t want to live in a flat. Instead they spent £42,000 on a houseboat they could make their own
Grade: Easy, no stiles but with steep steps. Ty Mawr is a 35 acre country park, on the banks of the River Dee, situated in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The park lies between the impressive Cefn Viaduct and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These two bridges are historic engineering structures and form a dramatic backdrop to the park. Please be aware that there is £1 charge for parking at Ty Mawr, which is used towards the upkeep of the park. Dogs are welcome on this walk but please keep your dogs under control.
A FAMILY of Gypsies is bidding to settle permanently on agricultural land between Middlewich and Winsford. The Boswells, an extended family of some 22 people, submitted a planning application to Cheshire West and Chester Council at the end of last month. The land in question is a two-hectare area to the east of Coalpit Lane, in Stanthorne on the south side of the Shropshire Union Canal. The application gives several reasons for applicants Mr Clonus Boswell, Ms V Boswell, Ms C Smith and their family wanting to settle, such as one family member’s ill health and the precarity of their current lifestyle.