Team of Sowerby Bridge lock keepers celebrate after winning at Canal & River Trust volunteer awards

Waterways and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust, together with Marsh Charitable Trust, has recognised volunteers in Yorkshire and the North East at its annual volunteer awards.

The awards celebrate volunteer excellence and are given to teams and individuals across the country who volunteer for the charity, reflecting the fantastic range of volunteering that takes place on its waterways.

This year, Canal & River Trust celebrates its tenth anniversary of protecting and preserving 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and Wales - including 317 miles across the Yorkshire and North East region. So, to mark a decade of charitable care, an extra category has been added to the awards to recognise those who have been volunteering with the charity since its inception.

Volunteers were invited to a ceremony at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, where the regional awards were presented. And all those in the region who have volunteered for ten years or more were recognised with a special plaque to mark their service to the canal charity.

The team recipients were the Tuel Lane Lock volunteer lock keepers, a team of around 10 individuals who were nominated for ‘always providing safe passage through the UK’s deepest single lock for boaters.’

Sean McGinley, regional director, Canal & River Trust, said: “Our volunteers make a tremendous contribution to the region’s waterways, bringing their skills, enthusiasm and experience to a vast array of activities and tasks and enabling us to keep the canals open and available for people to use and enjoy. These awards showcase the range of their talents and celebrate their enthusiasm, passion and sheer hard work. They are an inspiration and I offer my congratulations to them all.”

Christine Mellor, head of volunteering at Canal & River Trust, said: “In the decade since the Trust’s launch, we have seen an incredible change in the number of people volunteering on the canals and the impact that they have. This summer, volunteers donated their five millionth hour to Canal & River Trust since our launch ten years ago. These awards reflect how much we value and appreciate our volunteers who, working together with colleagues across the Trust, have enabled us to tend our beautiful green and blue spaces for future generations.

“Volunteers enable us to make significant changes that benefit all those who visit. On a day-to-day basis we see the impact that our volunteers have, leading and advising in how the Trust works; talking to and supporting customers; carrying out research; enabling our waterways to thrive by connecting our communities, conservation, improving biodiversity and protecting wildlife, to name a few. It means we can reach out to achieve so much more. Our volunteers bring experiences and insight from the local community, some of them joining us for a day, some for many years.

“These awards recognise just some of our volunteers who have made such a significant contribution in maintaining the beauty of our waterways. I'd encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering for the Trust to come along and get involved.”