Show your love for your historic canal

The Friends of Cromford Canal group have joined the Canal and River Trust’s ‘adopt a canal’ initiative in the hope of bringing the canal back to its former glory – and are calling on the local community to back their quest.

The group, which originally formed in 2002, have adopted the section between Codnor Park Reservoir and the railway bridge which includes three locks, three bridges and the towpath.

John Barker, group leader, said: “We’re a small yet dedicated group but we have big ambitions. We’d love more people to join us from the local community and help us restore this amazing canal back to its glory days. We’re starting with small things like litter picking, getting rid of dog mess and cutting back overgrown vegetation from the towpath to make it more enjoyable for people to visit.

“We’re hoping to get more people interested in visiting and supporting their local canal which brings so many benefits to people. It’s a relaxing place to visit and the history and ecology it offers is incredible so it’s sad for us to see it abandoned. I think it would be incredible to say that we played a small part in restoring this canal but we can’t do it alone.”

The trust will work with the group to understand what needs to be done, whether it’s to record and improve wildlife habitats, maintain towpaths, help fundraise, run educational events or help combat anti-social behaviour.

Those interested in joining in should contact group leader John Barker on 01773 760358 or email [email protected]. For more, visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/volunteer.