Date/Time
Date(s) - 14/02/2020
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location
Red Bull Wharf
Categories
Friends with Human-Nature | Fortnightly Canal Volunteering
Every Friday morning from 10am to 12noon, as ‘Friends with Human-Nature‘, we’re working in partnership with Canal & River Trust volunteering on our very own newly adopted stretch canal around the Red Bull Wharf area of Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent.
We’re doing our bit for nature conservation on our own patch, linking to our ‘Nature’s Ways to Wellbeing’:
- ‘Give’ (Spirit) – by volunteering our time and effort
- ‘Care’ (Planet) – by keeping the canal-side clear of litter, and the towpaths easily accessible to the wider community.
We’re following CRT’s ‘Waterways & Wellbeing’ Charity motto of ‘making life better by water‘!
We work independently as a group on our adopted canal stretch, but under the guidance of CRT’s Volunteer Coordinator, taking a walk each alternate fortnight:
- From Red Bull Wharf along our lovely stretch of Trent & Mersey to Lock 41 in North Staffordshire (near Harecastle Tunnel North Entrance) often looping around Red Bull Basin narrowboat moorings on the Macclesfield Canal.
- From Red Bull Wharf to Lock 52 out into the countryside of South Cheshire to Church Lawton Locks.
While we enjoy the canal landscape, have a good old ‘natter in nature’ and a bit of ‘blue and green’ therapy, we gain some useful exercise by attending to the following types of basic maintenance tasks, where everyone lends a hand, using the hand tools provided:
- Checking the towpaths are clear and safe, trimming back and encroaching branches or vegitation
- Litter picking, bagging and removing any unsightly waste, and stopping it endangering wildlife
- Identifying, isolating and reporting anything that might present a hazard to the visiting public
- Carrying out basic repair work such as towpath pot-hole filling, painting railings and cleaning signage
- Working alongside and under the supervision of CRT for any more major maintenance and repair tasks
- Helping to maintain the gardens/grounds of the Red Bull Wharf Offices.
And often we end up after at the Red Bull Public House for a coffee or a tea, and a bit more nattering!
We’re open to new members of the community joining our ‘Friends of Human-Nature‘ group, and support our work to maintain our adopted canal section – this could potentially include joining forces with other community groups or members of the wider public wanting to do their bit – or even local businesses wanting to help as part of a corporate CSR initiative or team building day.
In order to participate you’ll need to complete a volunteer application form provided by CRT through the Volunteer Coordinator, and abide by the instructions and risk assessments provided. Please use our Contact Us page to log your interest.