Wakefield canal gets much-needed TLC thanks to volunteers from Novus Health

All employees at Novus Health – which delivers audiology, physiotherapy and dermatology services to Wakefield residents on behalf of the NHS – get two paid ‘Giving Back Days’ every year. The volunteering days are designed to encourage staff to give their time and energy to worthwhile causes in the Wakefield district. This year, the volunteers are helping waterways charity, Canal & River Trust, carry out its vital work to safeguard the nation’s historic waterways.

A 12-strong team of volunteers from Novus Health will work with staff from the Trust to remove litter and vegetation, and carry out minor repairs at Fall Ings Lock, the gateway between the Aire & Calder and the Calder & Hebble navigations.

The Trust – the largest waterways charity which protects and cares for 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in England and Wales – relies on volunteers to deliver improvements that might not otherwise be possible.

Chief Executive of Novus Health, Luke Streeting, said: “Our moto is ‘In Wakefield, By Wakefield, For Wakefield’ so we were keen to roll up our sleeves and practise what we preach.

“Most of our employees live and work in Wakefield and are keen to do whatever they can to improve the look and feel of the town. Our Giving Back Days are an opportunity to spend some mood-boosting time together in the great outdoors, working as a team and improving the local environment in the process. It’s a win-win.”

Sean McGinley, director Yorkshire & North East at Canal & River Trust, said: “As the charity working to care for and protect the nation’s historic canals, Canal & River Trust is delighted that volunteers from Novus Health want to help us look after their local canal in Wakefield.

“Volunteering gives people the opportunity to experience our canals in new ways, making a difference in their local community while enjoying spending time by water.

“Our charity faces soaring costs of looking after this ‘living history’ at a time when available funding is stretched. So, it’s more important than ever that people want to help us look after their local canals, and that canals are properly funded and supported, so we can keep canals alive, available and safe for the local community to enjoy.”

Staff from Novus Health began work on the canal clean-up last month.