CanalCuttings - Your FREE Online-world British Inland Waterways, Narrowboat, River Cruiser, Canal Boat Magazine, Info Source and Britain's & Narrowboat Holiday Guide.
Around 850 Pages of Information and Features About Canals, Navigable Rivers and Their Usage - We're not just a Narrowboat World Magazine. The website includes River and Inland Waterways information - UK Inland Waterways Press Releases and Articles Invited.

21st Century Navvies Get Outdoors & Dirty This Easter To Help Restore The Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal

2010 is a special year for the Inland Waterways Association’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG). Established in 1970, it is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Each Canal Camp usually runs for seven days, each volunteer is asked to contribute £56 for the week (or £7 per day) towards the cost of their accommodation and the three meals a day that are provided. Most accommodation, which is best described as basic, is in sports centres, schools or village halls.

Anyone is welcome to volunteer for a Canal Camp; the only restriction is that they must be over 18 and under 70 years of age. No previous skills or experience are required.

Canals have been brought back to life ever since the middle of the 20th century by local canal societies and trusts. But WRG brought something new to supplement these local initiatives. It acts as a co-ordinating force, providing equipment, expertise, publicity and labour to help local restoration schemes. Since it does not focus on individual projects, it can move around the country, giving a concerted push to restoration schemes that need it, providing skills and resources that would not otherwise be available. Every year WRG runs over 20 week-long working holidays called ‘Canal Camps’ with the aim of restoring the derelict waterways of England and Wales. WRG is already planning its summer programme. It is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an exciting schedule of working holidays planned across the country from Newport, Wales to Chelmsford, Essex, to the Chesterfield, Derbyshire and all the way down to the Grand Western Canal in Devon and Somerset.

21st Century Navvies Get Outdoors & Dirty This Easter, from the 27th March-5th April, over 25 volunteers will be working towards the restoration of ‘Steppingstone’s Bridge’ near Swindon on the Wilts & Berks Canal. The Wilts and Berks Canal is one of the most ambitious canal restoration projects in the whole of Britain, because of the length of the canal, because it has been derelict for nearly a century, and because it has been largely built over in urban areas such as Swindon, Melksham and Abingdon. When restored, it will forward the central part of the Wessex Waterway Network linking three major waterways - the River Thames, the already restored Kennet & Avon Canal, and the Thames & Severn Canal, itself derelict but likely to reopen within the next 10 years. This year WRG have work planned for volunteers on Steppingstone Bridge, near Shrivenham, which involves the rescue of an accommodation bridge from the last stages of decay. In 2006 WRG rebuilt the collapsed arch- and in 2007/08 volunteers continued restoration work on the structure. At Easter our volunteers, along with an experienced leader, will be rebuilding the wing walls, reinstating the towpath, landscaping and engaging in other heritage restoration projects.

Mike Palmer, the WRG Chairman said:

“Volunteering with WRG is a unique opportunity. Participants can learn new skills to improve and widen their future employment opportunities, such as bricklaying, the use of lime mortar and using specialist excavation and construction machinery, as well as taking the chance to be part of the team that really make a huge difference to the waterways.

In these hard economic times volunteering is as important as ever to waterway restoration projects across the country. WRG always need volunteers at a local and national level to keep the waterways restoration movement going forwards in the right direction. No matter how long or short you volunteer time is you can be sure you’ve made a difference. Throughout the year volunteers work on restoration projects so even if you start something you don’t have time to finish, you can be sure someone else will continue your good work. We are always looking for new volunteer so why not become 21st century Navvies this year and help WRG celebrate 40 years of waterway restoration.

For more information please contact:

Jenny Black (Volunteers Coordinator)

Tel: 01494 783453 Ext 604

Email: jenny.black@waterways.org.uk