Team effort cleans up canal

Published: Thursday, 08 July 2010

THE waterways in Wolverhampton have benefited from a clean up thanks to the help of a team of volunteers.

A group of 10 people took part in a Volunteer Day organised by British Waterways, Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust (Walking for Health in Wolverhampton) and Ettingshall Local Neighbourhood Partnership. The event was in support of the ABCD New Deal For Communities (ABCD) project, which aims to forge better, safer access to the canal network in and around the All Saints and Blakenhall area of the city.

21 sacks

The Volunteer Day took place in late June and the team's activities included litter picking, painting and vegetation removal, resulting in 12 sacks of refuse and green waste being removed from the site.

ABCD and British Waterways commenced a partnership project in 2009 to transform an area of Wolverhampton's Old Main Line Canal. The aim of the project is to open up the canal corridor by improving access points, to encourage the community to take full advantage of this local amenity.

Re-instate access

Works are to include the re-instatement of accesses to the canal at Monmore Bridge and Lower Walsall St Bridge. A number of supplementary works have also been completed including the installation of a pedestrian counter, re-paving to the bridge underwalks and implementation of biodiversity works such as hedge planting and offside reed planting.