Towpath Tidy every month

OBVIOUSLY with the plan of getting more volunteers, British Waterways' annual Towpath Tidy will now be monthly.

We are told that it is using its annual Spring clean of the canals, Towpath Tidy, to launch regular waterways volunteering parties across the country. The picture shows a group of volunteers on the Rochdale Canal last year.  British Waterways' Fran Read explains:

At least once a month

"These informal groups will meet at least once a month, providing friends, family and strangers the chance to work together on a variety of tasks, from environment management and conservation work to painting locks and sprucing up sites across the country.

"Towpath Tidy events will be running throughout March, with the aim of giving the waterways a Spring clean before the start of the main boating and visitor season. During this year's Towpath Tidy, local people are urged to join boaters and volunteer groups to help transform stretches of canals and rivers across the UK.

"This volunteer effort brings wildlife and environmental benefits to the canals and rivers, as well as providing a welcome boost to the year-round work carried out by British Waterways. This year, anyone who wants to do more to keep their local canal or river spick and span will be able to continue volunteering all year round with the new regular volunteering parties.

Details of all the Towpath Tidy events will be available later this month.