Live match funding for Chesterfield Canal Trust

THE Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund is providing live match funding for the Chesterfield Canal Trust.

I AM championing this project to create a great new community space and bio-diversity hub a short walk from the historic, but in parts socially deprived, town of Staveley—once the home of heavy industries like iron, steel, chemicals and mining, writes Rod Auton.

A retired Maths teacher, I have been a member of the Chesterfield Canal Trust for 30 years and a Trustee for 13. I am the Publicity Officer and work in our Information Centre & Shop at Hollingwood Hub. I am just one of about 200 local people who volunteer for the Trust—all keen to see the canal restored for both local people and for wildlife.

We have made great progress over the years supporting the canal restoration and this project is raising funds to create brilliant new community spaces by the canal at Hartington. At present there is just rough ground and steep slopes but over the next 18 months we will build the new canal, the new Trans-Pennine Trail bridge and the new lock. The foreground of the image shows where the lock will be built.

We need to raise funds to beautify the area with 60 Trees (some semi-mature); 200 metres of hedging; 12 benches incuding four wheelchair accessible ones; native wildflowers, signs and information boards, accessible paths and landscaping works.

Everyone I meet, from local dog-walkers to long distance cyclists, wants us to create proper, well managed, and safe places to go and enjoy nature and meet friends etc. In return for your donations, we volunteers are committed to help manage these new spaces in future years for the free enjoyment of all.

Our new information boards will encourage people to learn about and help tackle climate change and our planting will take this into account.

Your generous donation would mean so much to us—not only knowing that we have your support but also that we can match fund and gift aid most donations more than doubling the value of your gift.

If you have any doubts about giving us your support, please have a good look at our website—or better still come and visit us at the Hollingwood Hub or on one of our four trip-boats - we'd love to see you and tell you all about our plans.

https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/restoring-the-chesterfield-canal-a-wildlife-corridord