One of the larger charities I have volunteered for is the Canal and River Trust. In charge of managing over 2000 miles of water ways, one of their key priorities is getting people involved. Working with the trust around Leicestershire, where I am from, had a community feel about it. With the Canal Trust managing so much of the canal there are plenty of local sites to visit, such as Foxton Locks, photographed above. Each area therefore also has an individual “Towpath Taskforce”. This is a group of volunteers who work in a certain area with regular meet-up times and dates.
Many of those in volunteering in the “Towpath Taskforces” are regulars but newcomers are openly welcomed. I got involved with several projects, most of which were small, such as litter picking or repainting areas of the canals. My favourite project, was surveying at Fradley Junction, where the Trent & Mersey Canal and the Coventry Canal meet. Here the trust conducts a survey of the wildlife in the site. It was my first experience of getting involved with trust scale British field work, listing species of birds and small amphibians to water plants and fungi.
The community feel and large variation in projects volunteers are encouraged to get involved in made the Canal and River Trust one of the most influential volunteering positions for my interest in the environment. If you have an interest in doing a little or a lot for you local environment and waterways I would really encourage you to have a look for your local taskforce and get involved.
With the charity working at a large scale, opportunities to get involved in volunteering are countrywide. If you want to get involved follow this link: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/volunteer
The trust also organises hundreds of great events to encourage people to the waterways; if you are interested in any of these please follow this link: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/
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