Conservation Volunteer (Walsall - Towpath Taskforce)

Canal & River Trust; Walsall; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Join the Towpath Task Force with Canal & River Trust as a volunteer! Engage with the community while helping to maintain and enhance the waterways. Enjoy the outdoors, meet new friends, and gain valuable skills in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Spending time outdoors

Learning new skills

Keeping fit

Meeting new, friendly people

Being part of a supportive team

Positive impacts on wellbeing

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day maintenance of the canal.
• Heritage restoration and environmental enhancements.
• Reporting any issues that require attention.

Skills

Willingness to learn new skills

Ability to travel to remote locations

Job description

With 8 locks leading into the very centre of Walsall, this lock flight is a busy stretch of canal, with the towpath being a popular route into town. Joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, and shoppers all enjoy this quieter route, sharing this highly urban area with some wonderful wildlife. Due to its location and popularity, this part of our network needs a lot of love and care from our volunteers.

As a member of our Towpath Task Force, you will work alongside Trust operatives managing vegetation (pruning, clearing, planting), clearing litter, and performing general maintenance tasks. You will also act as our eyes and ears, reporting any issues that need addressing.

Finally, as highly visible members of the team, our Towpath Taskforce Volunteers are the friendly, helpful face of the Canal and River Trust, engaging with the public and making our waterways more welcoming.

Sessions currently run every other week, led by our brilliant Lead Volunteer. Our existing Towpath Task Force volunteers highly value this role for making friends, staying active, and supporting wellbeing.

Volunteers must be over 18 years old.

Why we want you

Our Conservator volunteers help maintain our network, carrying out heritage and nature conservation activities, as well as everyday tasks like painting or litter picking to improve the local environment.

They help tackle tough issues on the waterways, ensuring the canal remains accessible and well maintained. Each year, we face new challenges in managing our popular space, and your support will help us achieve our goals.

Some teams work on projects like rebuilding stone walls or mass planting, allowing volunteers to give their time in different ways.

What you will be doing

• Day-to-day maintenance
• Heritage restoration
• Graffiti removal
• Environmental enhancements such as hedgelaying
• Creating new access points with improved steps or ramps
• When registering, we will ask about any unspent convictions to declare and assess risks accordingly.

The skills you need

• Willingness to learn new skills
• Ability to travel to remote locations

What's in it for you

• Spending time outdoors
• Learning new skills (some with external accreditation)
• Keeping fit
• Meeting new, friendly people
• Being part of a supportive team
• Seeing positive impacts on your wellbeing