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Dewsbury volunteers can make a difference to their waterways

1st Mar 2012

People living in Dewsbury are being encouraged to take part in a project that will help improve the town’s waterways and give them the opportunity to learn new skills, maintain a healthy lifestyle and meet new people.

The Dewsbury Water Linked project is a three year Big Lottery Fund scheme that aims to improve the Calder & Hebble Navigation and River Calder running through the town as well as improving employability and encouraging use of the waterways as part of a healthy lifestyle.

A project officer, Becca Dent, has recently been appointed to oversee the scheme and the focus now turns to how people living in the town can get involved.

Becca said; "I’m excited by the project and what I believe we can achieve. Dewsbury’s waterways have a really important role to play in helping people to learn new skills, lead a healthy lifestyle, meet new people and generally bring the town closer together.

"I’m particularly looking forward to working with a wide range of volunteers. By working with us for just a few days a month these people will make a fantastic contribution to their town, making its waterways more attractive and a place that we can all be really proud of. However, I also hope that they will get a great deal out of it personally by learning new skills, opening up new social opportunities and, hopefully, achieving a recognised qualification that will prove useful elsewhere in their lives."

The first opportunity for local people to participate is through a Wildlife Action Squad. The team of up to 6 volunteers will work together to carry out important ecological works to improve biodiversity along the town’s waterways as well as surveying species such as bats and water voles, tending to canalside plots of land and helping to monitor and develop existing otter holts. Initially tasks will be identified by the project officer but, over time, as the volunteers become more experienced they will take responsibility for identifying and planning future projects themselves.

Becca continues; "Waterways are a well-known haven for wildlife and the Wildlife Action Squad will carry out important, and incredibly rewarding, work to make Dewsbury’s canals more attractive to a range of birds and insects.

"There really will be something for everyone from physical, dirty work to more sedate ecological surveys and species identification."

In the coming months, a steering group made up of members of the community will be appointed to take responsibility for deciding on the specific activities delivered by the project and to build closer relationships with existing community groups.

The Dewsbury Water Linked project was awarded £174,000 by the Big Lottery Fund and is being run in partnership between British Waterways and Kirklees Council.

Last updated: 01/03/2012

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