Waterside Champion (Shadow at Standedge Tunnel)

Canal & River Trust; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a friendly volunteer team as a Waterside Champion with the Canal & River Trust, ensuring safe travel for boats in the UK's longest tunnel while engaging with visitors. Enjoy a rewarding experience in a unique environment and help facilitate a memorable experience for everyone exploring our waterways.

Benefits

Sense of reward

New experience in a unique environment

Opportunity to help those in need

A supportive network of colleagues

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal skills to engage with visitors.
• Ability to work well as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Welcoming and engaging visitors at the waterways.
• Volunteering in a team to care for daily operations.
• Ensuring safe passage for boaters.

Skills

Friendly

Reliable

Good with people

Happy working with others

Job description

We are recruiting shadows to join our friendly volunteer team who ensure private boats can safely travel through Standedge Tunnel. This is the longest, highest, and deepest canal tunnel in the UK, and many sections are unlined where rock causes navigational hazards. Shadows drive through the adjoining disused rail tunnel, monitoring the progress of narrowboats (and sometimes canoes) and being able to offer assistance in case of emergency. Thorough training will be provided to ensure you know the tunnel's features (including the s-bend in the middle), and have knowledge of our emergency procedures.

Passages through the tunnel for private boats are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays usually from the end of March until November. Occasionally weekend trips for our passenger boat or canoes take place which also require a shadow to support them. Once trained, you can let us know which days you are available so a monthly rota can be arranged from our pool of volunteers. When you apply, we will contact you to arrange a day to come in and meet some of the team and discuss what the role involves so you can ask questions and decide if the role is for you. Thank you for your interest.

Why we want you

As a Waterside Champion we need your support to be there for our customers. The millions of visitors to our waterways, museums and attractions are intrigued by our wonderful 200 year old network. Our Champions are there to facilitate a great experience all.

There are a number of activities which you could be involved with along our towpaths at our Welcome Stations; demonstrating in our collections teams at our museums; caring for and operating our swing and lift bridges to support passing boaters; facilitating safe passage through our tunnels where additional boater support is needed.

We have other roles which complement our Waterside Champions in more specific day to day customer focused roles: Rangers, Lock keepers, Explorers, Waterside Champions and Youth Engagement roles.

What you will be doing

• Representing the Trust to welcome and engage visitors, customers and local people
• Volunteering in a team to care for the day to day operation of the waterways
• Operating key part of the waterways to ensure safe passage by boaters and talking to members of the public about them
• When you register as a volunteer, we will ask you about any unspent convictions which you need to declare and risk assess these as needs be.

The skills you need

• Friendly
• Reliable
• Good with people
• Happy working with others

What's in it for you

• Sense of reward
• New experience in a unique environment
• Opportunity to help those in need
• A supportive network of colleagues