Types of Volunteering Work on the Hereford and Gloucester Canal
The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust is restoring the Canal as a navigable waterway, which, when completed, will rank as one of the most attractive cruising routes in the country.
The Trust has a number of very enthusiastic teams of volunteers working at various locations along the whole line of the canal from Gloucester to Hereford.
Would you like to get involved with the Canal’s Restoration?
Types of work undertaken by our volunteers:
On restoration sites
You could be involved with some of these tasks:
Towpath maintenance • undergrowth clearance • tree planting • grass cutting • fence erecting • recycling • gardening • painting • decorations • path laying • drystone walling • mixing mortar • brick-laying • concreting • driving dumpers • bulldozers or excavators • chain sawing • surveying • building and repairing structures like locks, bridges and aqueducts • boat maintenance • engineering … and so the list goes on …
Behind the scenes
Volunteering does not have to involve mud and mortar. People with desk-top, telephone and computer skills are also greatly valued:
Project developing • quantity surveying • civil engineering • legal work • designing • marketing • promoting • accounting • exploring the history • running our archives • grant aid bidding … and so the list goes on again …
Photo Gallery to come…
Who gets involved as a volunteer?
With so many skills that we can make good use of and opportunities that are available on offer there is a wide range of people who join us as volunteers. These include:
- People looking for work who know adding volunteer experience to their CV is beneficial
- Retired people who enjoy the regular opportunities to get involved with a wide range of projects.
- Retired people who have a number of very useful skills to share.
- Young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh Awards, usually at Gold Level.
- People who work in an office all week but need some fresh air and exercise at weekend. They treat volunteering as a ‘green gym’.
- People who wish to learn new skills.
- People who want to make new friends.
- Companies which have groups of their employees wishing to do some valuable team building outside their work environment.
- … and yes, even people who, quite literally, want to see our Canal Restored!
- You too could help as a volunteer for the H&G CT!
Training
Volunteers are usually keen to learn new skills and gain great pride in the work and effort put into the tasks. You can learn new skills like brick-laying, or driving dumpers, bulldozers or excavators. Training and support is always available depending on the tasks being undertaken.
Health and safety
We have experienced team leaders in charge of each site and volunteers are required to work under their leadership. Tasks are risk assessed and safety helmets and vizi-jackets are provided, as well as other safety gear depending on the nature of the task. The Trust takes health and safety very seriously; an H&S officer for the Trust inspects the sites on a regular basis.
Volunteer expertise
Many of our volunteers can to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience from past jobs and hobbies. We are very pleased when this knowledge can be shared with other volunteers and is of great benefit to the H&G CT. If you have expertise that you would like to share with the Trust please click expertise.
Membership of the Trust
Although it is not essential that our volunteers are also members of the Trust there are very few occasions when volunteers are not enthused enough to also want to become part of our organisation. Subscriptions are not high and your joining helps to show a strength of support with grant aid bids and liaising with other organisations.
Age limits
We can not accept volunteers under the age of 17 but we have no upper age limit.
How to get involved as a volunteer:
You can download a form and post it to
Restoration Volunteers, The Wharf House, Over, Gloucester, GL2 8DB
Or email your details via this website: Contact Us
Please help us to restore this Canal by becoming a volunteer today!
