A two-mile stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal has been adopted by a Bradford-based young people's charity.
British Waterways has joined forces with Joint Activities and Motor Education Service (JAMES) in the first waterway adoption scheme of its type to come to Yorkshire. JAMES will work alongside waterways staff to help improve that stretch of the canal.
The adoption will pass through the Grade I Listed Bingley Five Rise Locks, the world heritage site of Saltaire, Dowley Gap Aqueduct and finish up at Hirst Lock, just on the outskirts of Shipley, and will run for an initial period of a year, with the option to continue if successful.
Waterway adoption schemes aim to engage people with their waterways. Local businesses and groups are being encouraged to adopt a stretch of canal or river within their local area and take part in a variety of tasks to care for them and bring those all-important 'added extras' to the waterways, maximising the benefits that they bring to society.
Paul House, waterway supervisor for the Leeds & Liverpool Canal said:
"There's a great deal of public support out there for the canals and we now need to embrace that to safeguard them for the future.
"The tasks that the group are working on are fun, active and will bring those additional benefits and improvements to our yearly maintenance programme."
JAMES members will now set to work on a variety of tasks including:
towpath repairs; painting lock gates; repairing or installing benches and fencing; recording and improving wildlife habitats; promoting the waterway to other local people; running events and guided walks; heritage recording
British Waterways cares for 2,200 miles of historic canals and rivers across the UK, spends over £100m per year directly on maintaining the waterways and completing major works.
