We are inviting families to Fradley Junction on Sunday 4 November to learn about the engineering brain power that helped to overcome challenges such as how to push water up a hill and how to get a work horse weighing more than a tonne from one side of the canal to the other.
As part of the day visitors will be able to use models to learn about different types of bridge, take a guided walk to a lock to find out how it works and get creative by painting stones in traditional canal designs.
The event, which runs from 11am until 2pm, is being organised by our ‘Explorers' education programme aimed at teaching kids all about their local canals as well as how to enjoy them safely. The event is run by volunteers and is part of the charity's monthly programme of things to do at Fradley Junction.
Sarah Bicknell, education coordinator for the Canal & River Trust, said: "Two hundred years ago those that built the canals will have been faced with some interesting challenges and, without the computer wizardry we have today, it was up to ingenious engineers to come up with ways around them.
"With more and more people using canals as places to destress and keep active, and more boats on the water than at the height of the Industrial Revolution, it shows that their ideas have really stood the test of time.
"This event is a great opportunity to learn more about these amazing feats of engineering that are on the doorsteps of so many people and it's also a chance to get out into the fresh air and enjoy some quality family time."
Our volunteers at Fradley lead visits where children can learn all about their local canal and the wildlife which lives around it. The volunteers can also provide cub-scout and brownie visits to Fradley in the Spring/Summer months. For more information on school or event activities, please email [email protected].
The junction marks the meeting point of the Trent & Mersey and Coventry canals and has supported a hive of activity on the canal over the past two centuries. Nowadays, with Fradley Pool, it has become a haven for wildlife and a popular visitor destination.
For further resources and activities for schools, group leaders and children go to www.canalriverexplorers.org.uk.
