2019
Canal Camps Canal Restoration Volunteer Holidays
Volunteer www.wrg.org.uk
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I can’t think of a better way to spend a week’s holiday than on a WRG Canal Camp. I’ve met some amazing people, worked outside, learnt new skills and helped make a noticeable difference to our unique heritage along the way! Sam, 2018 volunteer
Why you’ll love volunteering for Waterway Recovery Group!
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Meet new people and make lifelong friends. Be part of a friendly and diverse team. Learn new practical skills. Gain valuable work-related experience. Help restore our industrial heritage…and maybe get a little muddy!
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Dates for 2019 30th-31st March BCN Cleanup BCN2019 19th-27th April Lancaster Canal CC201901 Cotswold Canals CC201902 18th May Leaders Training Day LTD2019 19th-25th May River Waveney RW2019 14th-16th June Family Camp - Uttoxeter Canal FCW201901 17th-24th August Grantham Canal CC201916 21st-23rd June WRG Training Weekend TW2019 6th-13th July Wey & Arun Canal CC201903 Lichfield Canal CC201904 Grantham Canal CC201905 13th-20th July Wey & Arun Canal CC201906 Lichfield Canal CC201907 Grantham Canal CC201908 20th-27th July Wey & Arun Canal CC201909 Derby Canal CC201910 Grantham Canal CC201911 3rd-10th August Cotswold Canals CC201912 Shrewsbury & Newport Canals CC201913 10th-17th August Cotswold Canals CC201914 Grantham Canal CC201915 16th-18th August Family Camp - Grantham Canal FCW201902
24th-31st August Swansea Canal CC201917 Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation CC201918 Grantham Canal CC201919 31st August-7th September Monmouthshire Canal CC201920 7th-14th September Monmouthshire Canal CC201921 19th-26th October Grantham Canal CC201922 WRG Forestry - Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation WRGFT 25th-27th October Family Camp - Wendover Arm Canal FCW201903 2nd-3rd November TBC Bonfire Bash BB2019 26th December-1st January 2020 TBC Christmas Camp CC201923
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Just add volunteers Canal Camps are a great experience for anyone who loves being outdoors and enjoys meeting new people of different ages and from a variety of backgrounds. Run by Waterway Recovery Group (WRG), Canal Camps allow participants to learn new skills whilst helping bring derelict waterways back to life.
Tell me more Each CAnal camp costs just £70, per week What is the age limit? WRG Canal Camp working holidays are open to anyone aged 18 and above.
Do I need to have experience? It doesn’t matter whether you are a complete beginner or already have some skills, you will be guided through every task by the Canal Camp leadership team.
Food - Each day there will be
a cooked breakfast, lunch on site and a substantial home cooked evening meal…along with plenty of tea and cake! Let us know at time of booking if you are vegetarian or have special dietary requirements.
Transport – Car parking is
provided. If you arrive by train or bus, we will pick you up from the nearest station. We also provide transfers between the accommodation and site.
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Accommodation -
Accommodation is best described as basic - volunteers sleep in one large room in a village hall or similar. You can expect electricity, toilets and draught-free sleeping areas! Access to a hot shower will be provided at the end of each working day. You will need to bring a camp bed or sleeping mat.
Kit List - You’ll be sent a full list
of what to bring. You will need steel toe capped safety footwear. We will supply all other safety equipment required, including a hard hat.
Free Time - Evenings are free to
socialise with your fellow campers. Your Canal Camp Leader will organise some activities such as bowling, boat trips or visits to the local pub. Don’t forget to bring some extra money if you want to join in.
Navvies - Our magazine, named
after the original navvies who built the canals, will keep you updated on our restoration activities. First time volunteers will receive one year’s free subscription to our Navvies magazine.
Duke of Edinburgh's award A Canal Camp is a great way to complete the residential section of your Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. All volunteers participating in the Award are expected to attend the Camp for the full seven days.
how to book
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It’s easy to book onto one of our Canal Camps!
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• Book online www.wrg.org.uk • Call 01494 783 453
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“
It’s really great volunteering with WRG on their Canal Camps. Over the years, I’ve worked on many Camps and other projects that WRG get involved with. I’ve met many interesting people and learnt some new skills. During a week’s Camp, real progress can be made. This results in a sense of great achievement; especially in the future if you are lucky enough to travel through a lock that you might have helped restore.
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John Hawkins
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University can sometimes feel a bit like a bubble. WRG is a way for me to escape that bubble, to talk to people I would otherwise never have met and to learn skills I would never have tried. I go on a Camp knowing no one, and leave knowing everyone. A WRG Camp is whatever you want to make it, but never boring. Rhiannon Smith
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Sites for 2019 Midlands
Grantham canal
£70
Location: Lincolnshire Activities: Lock restoration Dates: 6th-13th July 13th-20th July 20th-27th July
10th-17th August 17th-24th August 24th-31st August 19th-26th October
WRG is supporting Canal & River Trust’s and Grantham Canal Society’s successful Heritage Lottery bid to restore Locks 14 and 15 of the Grantham canal. The emphasis of the bid is to undertake restoration work using volunteers and allowing people to learn waterway heritage construction skills. With Lock 15 successfully restored, WRG has turned its attentions to supporting the Society and Trust to restore Lock 14, where volunteers will start to rebuild the lock chamber. Set in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir, Lincolnshire, with excellent local support and the chance to learn how to bricklay, these will be very popular camps.
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lichfield canal
ÂŁ70
Location: Staffordshire Activities: Lock maintenance, channel excavation and towpath refurbishment Dates: 6th-13th July, 13th-20th July The Lichfield Canal covers a distance of just over 7 miles through 30 locks from Ogley Junction on the Birmingham Canal Navigations to Huddlesford Junction. Now work is well underway to restore this historic canal through the heart of England. This summer WRG volunteers will be undertaking works such as lock maintenance, excavating the canal channel, restoring the towpath wall and reinstating the towpath.
shrewsbury & newport canals
ÂŁ70
Location: Shropshire Activities: Towpath refurbishment Dates: 3rd-10th August In a beautiful part of Shropshire, Central England, volunteers on this camp will continue working at Berwick Tunnel North Portal to construct an all-ability towpath, which will improve access for everyone to this part of the canal. This towpath will eventually run the length of the whole canal, from Norbury Junction to Shrewsbury. The overall goal of the restoration is reopening the entire canal as a through route for boats.
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£70
Location: Derbyshire Activities: Lock restoration Dates: 20th-27th July The Derby & Sandiacre Canal Trust is dedicated to restoring the Derby Canal, which connects the Trent & Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to the Erewash at Sandiacre. This summer, volunteers will continue the work from 2018 uncovering and rebuilding the original stone walls above and below the lock chamber. This camp offers a great opportunity for volunteers to learn heritage restoration skills.
bcn cleanup
£13
Location: Dudley No 2 Canal Activities: Canal cleanup Dates: 30th-31st March Ever wondered what’s lurking beneath the waters of the Birmingham Canal Navigations? Over the past four years, over 140 tonnes of rubbish has been cleared from the BCN – including lots of treasures such as an electric guitar, motorcycles, a safe and of course lots of shopping trolleys! WRG’s annual cleanup weekend is a great opportunity to have fun and meet new people, whilst making a welcomed improvement to Birmingham’s Canals.
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north west Lancaster canal
£70
Location: Cumbria Activities: Canal relining and vegetation clearance Dates: 19th-27th April Our northern most Canal Camp is on the Lancaster Canal - a 42 mile lock free canal overlooked by the Pennines. The main objective of the Lancaster Canal Trust is to restore and open up the canal from Tewitfield to Kendal. During this camp, volunteers will be returning to Stainton to complete the relining of the leaking section of the canal known as the ‘First Furlong’, and help to clear vegetation at Hincaster Tunnel.
South West Cotswold canals
£70
Location: Wiltshire Activities: Bridge construction and plant operation Dates: 19th-27th April, 3rd-10th August*, 10th-17th August* Restoration of the Cotswold Canals is one of the largest projects in the UK. Nearing the final phase of the Weymoor Bridge project, the Cotswold Canals Trust is looking to WRG volunteers to give the project a push towards completion. This Easter volunteers will build bridge protection and complete the rebuilding of the retaining walls or work on the support structures for the bridge.
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*Experienced machine operators and civil engineers are encouraged to apply for our summer Camps to help build the bridge.
South east
wey & arun canal Location: Surrey Activities: Lift bridge construction and towpath refurbishment Dates: 6th-13th July, 13th-20th July, 20th-27th July
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The Wey & Arun Canal was opened in 1816 as a safe route from London to ports in Portsmouth. Two hundred years after its closure, the Wey & Arun Canal, is being restored to bring London’s lost route to the sea back to life! Volunteers on these camps will be working towards building one of two new lift bridges needed to bring boats back to the Birtley section. The work will involve creating the foundations, installing the piling and constructing the towpath. This camp is a perfect opportunity for budding engineers and construction enthusiasts to experience first hand what it takes to work on a significant infrastructure project.
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Wales swansea canal
£70
Location: Swansea Bay, South Wales Activities: Heritage construction Dates: 24th-31st August The Swansea Canal originally ran for 16.5 miles. It was steeply graded and 36 locks were needed to enable it to rise 373 feet over its length. Subsequently, parts of it were closed and filled in but around 6 miles of it remains in water. Volunteers will be working at Ynysmeudwy Upper Lock clearing the chamber walls of vegetation, repointing with lime mortar, painting the safety rails and clearing the overgrown length between the Upper and Lower Locks.
monmouthshire canal £70 Location: Cwmbrân, South Wales Activities: Archaeology & heritage construction Dates: 31st August-7th September, 7th-14th September The remains of the Ty Coch lock keeper’s cottage are part of an historic environment that includes not only the 250 year old engineering of the Monmouthshire Canal itself, but a well preserved heritage attraction. Volunteers will help rediscover this 19th Century lock keeper’s cottage and continue the archaeological investigations into this structure. These Camps will also give volunteers the chance to take part in a wide range of traditional heritage techniques to help restore the Canal.
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Location: Bungay, Suffolk Activities: Lock chamber repairs Dates: 19th-25th May A firm favourite with wildlife spotters, the River Waveney forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk and has much of its length in the Norfolk Broads. Working alongside the River Waveney Trust, volunteers on this camp will be based at Geldeston Lock, removing damaged brickwork and carrying out repairs using lime mortar. Volunteers are sure to be treated with some amazing views within the Norfolk Broads.
chelmer & ÂŁ70 blackwater navigation Location: Essex Activities: Navigation maintenance Dates: 24th-31st August The Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation is an unsung gem, running through a largely unspoilt part of rural Essex, connecting Chelmsford with the tidal estuary of the River Blackwater at Heybridge Basin. To help maintain this beautiful waterway, volunteers on this camp will be clearing overgrown vegetation from the towpath, helping to improve access for all waterway users. Accommodation will be on a barge converted for residential use, moored at Heybridge Basin.
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other events Christmas camp
£70
Location: To be confirmed Activities: Vegetation clearance Dates: 26th December - 1st January 2020 Our main Canal Camps programme ends in October, but that doesn’t mean we go into hibernation for the winter. Every year we run a Christmas Camp from the 26th December through to New Years Day. Work will include vegetation clearance, so there will be plenty of bonfires to keep you warm. It’s the perfect way to work off your Christmas dinner and start the New Year in style! We haven’t decided on a site for 2019 but keep checking the website for more information.
Reunion weekend 2019 £13 Location: To be confirmed Activities: Vegetation clearance Dates: 2nd-3rd November WRG’s Reunion Weekend is our big annual get together and a working party of up to 100 volunteers. It’s also known as the Bonfire Bash because we usually spend the weekend clearing vegetation along the line of a canal and warming ourselves by bonfires! There will also be the chance to have a sneak peek at our Camps programme for 2020!
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Family weekend camps
£15
per person
Location: Uttoxeter Canal: 14th-16th June Grantham Canal: 16th-18th August Wendover Arm Canal: 25th-27th October
Due to popular demand, WRG’s Family Weekend Camps are back for a third year with even more sites and new activities to welcome families to the world of canal restoration. Don’t worry, it’s not all work and no play, evening activities will be planned for the weekend. Families will be provided with accommodation whether that’s sleeping in dorms, on a barge or camping (families will need to bring their own camping gear). The activities involved are to
help make practical improvements to the canal, help enhance the waterways for wildlife and learn what it is like to live like a modern day Navvy! The Family Camps are open to families with children aged between 6 and 14. To book spaces on one of these weekends please call 01494 783453 ext 610
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Help run a canal camp Our Canal Camps also need leaders and organisers to help run them. Volunteers donate their own holiday time to ensure that each and every volunteer who joins us can have a fun filled and safe week. As a WRG Canal Camp Leader, assistant or cook you will need to have some experience of Canal Camps and be willing to look after (or feed) 18 wonderful volunteers! To find out how to get involved please email enquiries@wrg.org.uk or find out more at www.wrg.org.uk/volunteer
Why volunteer...what's in it for you?
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Meet new people from a wide range of backgrounds and age.
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Gain new, transferable skills. that make your CV stand out.
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Have a fun, enjoyable and FREE holiday.
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Become a vital member of the WRGie team!
If you are interested, why not join us on our annual Leaders Training day on Saturday 18th May 2019.
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Weekend digs WRG’s Regional Groups organise weekend canal restoration ‘digs’ for volunteers throughout England and Wales. The work can be anything from restoring a lock chamber to vegetation clearance, there really is something for everyone. The weekends start on the Friday evening and volunteers work on site from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon. Each weekend costs between £8-£15 which includes food and accommodation. Are you looking for exciting ways to fill a weekend? Are you interested in learning new skills? Maybe you want to improve your bricklaying or hone your digger operating skills? If your answer is ‘YES’ then WRG has something for you. For more information and upcoming dig dates visit the WRG website at: www.wrg.org.uk
IWA Restoration hub The Inland Waterways Association Restoration Hub supports the creation of a robust and vibrant waterway restoration sector, delivering re-openings of waterways and preserving our unique waterways heritage structures. The Hub provides a centralised service for advice and resources, plus practical, hands-on support to enable waterway restoration groups to manage their waterway projects.
The Hub goals are to: Support: Be a central point of contact, helping signpost restoration groups through the challenging process of restoring a canal. The Hub also provides support via our panel of experts to produce up to date guidance, running workshops and free online resources. Organise visits to restoration groups, to be attended by appropriate experts who will offer specialist support, guidance and resources.
Enable: Provide practical assistance through WRG Canal Camps and Regional
Weekends. Volunteers administer hands on support through training in construction skills and machine operation, advise on site health and safety and contribute over 40,000 volunteer hours a year towards practical canal restoration and planning.
Champion: Campaign for the waterways restoration movement at a national level, encouraging, promoting and enabling waterway restoration to galvanise the attention and support of influential politicians, media and key stakeholders.
For more details go to www.waterways.org.uk/restorationhub
Love your Waterway Restoration Over five hundred miles of the UK’s waterways have been saved from dereliction since the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) was founded in 1946. Many more miles are gradually being brought back to life thanks to the work of IWA and WRG volunteers as well as the extraordinary hard work and dedication of restoration groups all
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over the country. But it is estimated that there are still 2,000 miles of waterway left to restore. WRG is part of IWA and together we aim to support, enable and champion restoration nationally. IWA spends around a third of its membership subscription income to benefit WRG’s practical hands on work. And it’s not just financially that IWA supports restoration. Volunteers regularly lobby politicians, provide advice, expertise and publicity and combined with WRG volunteers our aim is to ensure the future of our waterway heritage.
how to book
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pe
st £7 0
rw
It’s easy to book onto one of our Canal Camps!
ee
k
• Book online www.wrg.org.uk • Call 01494 783 453 • Email enquiries@wrg.org.uk Please phone or email if you would like a Camp booking form sent to you.
Keep up to date with WRG: facebook.com/waterwayrecoverygroup
@wrg_navvies
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www.wrg.org.uk Waterway Recovery Group is part of The Inland Waterways Association (registered office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, HP5 1WA). The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee, registered in England no 612245, and registered as a charity no 212342. VAT registration no 342 0715 89. Copyright Waterway Recovery Group 2018. WRG reserves the right to decline bookings without a specified reason. Photos supplied by WRG volunteers.