Skills for Life students begin canal clear up

Hopwood students clear walkways and trails, under supervision of tutors and canal officials

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Skills for Life learners from Hopwood Hall College braved the cold to begin a clear up project on Rochdale Canal.

The students have been working on taking out invasive plant species, cleaning up litter and maintaining the surrounding native flora.

Clearing out moss from cobble mortar, chopping down overgrown bushes and surface cleaning pathways are all part of their weekly duties.

The groups of students, who have a range of physical and learning difficulties, will be visiting stretches of Rochdale canal every Tuesday in a bid to help clean up their community.

Aside from taking pride in contributing to their communities, the students also gain valuable work experience, further developed social skills and learned practical skills.

Joan Cook, one of the Skills for Life lecturers overseeing the project spoke of their efforts,she said: “The students love being able to get out and directly improve their own communities. The sense of pride they get by turning dilapidated areas of the canal into something fresh and clean is quite inspiring.

"The work experience they get back from this will also help many of them with future job prospects. They can demonstrate how they have worked in a team, followed leadership and applied themselves in a professional working environment.”

The aim of the project is to clear a section of the Rochdale canal each week, culminating in a ‘graffiti wall’ signed by the students who have taken part in the restorations.

Jim Wynn, one of the Canal and River Trust Officers that oversee the project commented on the students’ volunteer work, he said: “It is crucial that we get volunteers working on our canals, otherwise this invaluable maintenance would be lost.

"It is vital we maintain these parts of our ecosystem and the students have done a fabulous job of contributing towards this.”