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Canal volunteering with a twist in London this summer

Londoners are being invited to help clean-up the Regent’s Canal, which runs through the capital, at a series of volunteering events with a twist this summer.

We've teamed up with students from Queen Mary University to host the monthly events with a difference. Live music, cocktail making, swishing and paddle boarding will be among the activities for volunteers to take part in, alongside more traditional canal jobs such as painting, flower planting and litter picks.

The Trust's Love London Canals programme is designed to offer people who work during the day a chance to try after-work volunteering, and make the most of the waterways in the warmer seasons. The full schedule is as follows:

  • Thursday 28 May, 6-8pm: Flower power Cocktails - cocktail-making master class and flower planting in Haggerston
  • Friday 19 June, 6-8pm: Loved up in Little Venice - flower planting and picnic, Little Venice
  • Thursday 23 July, 6-8pm: Swishing clothes swap, high tea and boat painting, near Victoria Park
  • Thursday 27 August, 6-8pm: Paddle boarding litter pick and BBQ in Paddington Basin
  • Wednesday 20 September, TBC: Group canal jog, Bethnal Green
  • Saturday 31 October, 6-8pm: Fancy dress and Hallowean themed ghost walk, Warwick Avenue

Becky Williams, Canal & River Trust volunteer team leader, said: “We're on the lookout for people with energy and oompf, to help us blitz the canal and have fun while they do it. Volunteers already do so much to help keep the Regent's Canal in the condition it is, but we wanted to try something a bit different.

"While the majority of our volunteering happens during office hours, we've planned these events for the evenings so people who work during the day have every opportunity to enjoy helping out on the canals. You can listen to music, paddleboard, swish, go on a ghost tour, and hopefully meet some interesting people along the way. We're running a series of events over the next few months, where we hope to tap into the goodwill, creativity and fun of Londoners.”

Monica Kolesnik, from Queen Mary University, who is organising the event, added: “We wanted to create events for the good of the canal and its environment yet with a broader appeal, so we mixed it up and added a bit of fun. There is something incredibly rewarding about giving back to the environment, in this case the canal, which we all enjoy on a daily basis.”

For more details about the event visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/love-london-canals or contact Becky Williams on 07799 436 816.

Last Edited: 28 May 2015

photo of a location on the canals
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