We're looking for more volunteer lock keepers to join their team in 2025 to help look after the Gargrave stretch of the UK’s longest canal.
Located on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Gargrave is close to the summit of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Dating back 250 years, the nation’s free-to-visit canal network, cared for by us, is an incredible manmade structure spanning 2,000 miles across England and Wales – including 320 miles in Yorkshire.
About the role
Lock keepers are ‘the face of the waterways’ and this iconic role has been a familiar feature for hundreds of years on Britain’s canals. With many people enjoying their local canal and towpath as a place to escape and relax, modern-day volunteer lock keepers are an invaluable part of the visitor experience.
Offering a friendly welcome, volunteer lock keepers provide local information and assist with a variety of important tasks, including water management, environmental and heritage maintenance tasks, assisting boaters and public passing through the area.
The role works on a shift basis between April-October, assisting for a minimum of one day a week. People of all ages (over 18) and experiences are encouraged to apply, with training and induction sessions provided. A new welfare unit in Gargrave at Higherland Lock, near the boater facilities in the middle of the village is being installed, for the volunteer team.
Our welcome event
We're hosting a Volunteer Welcome Event for anyone interested in finding out more about the role and meet other volunteers on Tuesday, April 29th, 9:30am-12:30pm at Higherland Lock (no.32) in Gargrave, where bridge 170 leads the famous Pennine Way across the canal.
Andy Salt, volunteering leader, explained: “Gargrave is a beautiful and popular spot on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal for boaters, walkers, cyclists and tourists who come to enjoy some of the best views in Yorkshire, while enjoying the benefits of being by water.
“Close to the summit, this section of canal can be vulnerable to changes in water levels, so monitoring and helping to manage water levels is an important part of the volunteer lock keeping role and helping to look after, repair, paint, mow, plant along the six locks at Gargrave to help keeping them look their best.
“You don’t need experience of boating or working on the waterways, the most important things we’re looking for are enthusiasm, willingness to learn and a friendly manner. It’s a great opportunity for anyone who loves being outdoors, is looking for something different to do, and is interested in keeping the tradition of lock keeping alive. Importantly, we know how good being by water is to help after your health and mental wellbeing.”
An important part of our charity
Sean McGinley, our regional director, added: “As a charity it’s our job to keep our historic canals open and alive. Remarkably, canals are busier with more boats than the height of the industrial revolution, bringing nature, green space and traffic-free walking and cycling routes to millions of people in many of the country’s most urban areas.
“Volunteers are a hugely important part of enabling our charity to continue to preserve and protect this national treasure, while helping to celebrate the canals’ colourful history and bring their stories to new audiences. If you are interested and thinking of joining us, our message is ‘your canal needs you’.”
Postive impact on your wellbeing
Volunteering on the canals provides its own health benefits. Canals have been proven to have a positive impact on people’s mental wellbeing. A study last year by King’s College London showed positive associations between visits to canals and rivers and mental wellbeing, as well as a positive experience for feelings of safety and social inclusion relative to other environments.
Approximately 1 million people in the Yorkshire live within a 10-minute walk of our waterways, but many don’t realise that the locks, bridges, aqueducts and towpaths, together with the habitat for wildlife, are looked after by a charity.
