Britain’s biggest canal charity has issued an SOS after finding itself between a lock and a hard place.
The Canal & River Trust is on the hunt of volunteers to help maintain some of the most spectacular waterways in the world.
It painstakingly preserves more than 2,000 miles of canals, river navigations, historic bridges and aqueducts which help to create stunning scenes like this.
Woodlesford Lock in Leeds, on the Aire & Calder Navigation, looked resplendent at sunrise yesterday <
The trust is now urging people to step forward and sign up in the effort to maintain the historic routes and the habitats they provide for endangered species.
Last year, more than 4,500 volunteers contributed more than 700,000 hours of work for the trust, helping spruce up places otters, water voles, kingfishers, herons, and other wildlife call home.
Nine million people live within a ten-minute walk of the trust’s waterways, but most are unaware of the upkeep that is needed.
Good Morning Britain presenter and charity volunteer Ranvir Singh said: “The Canal & River Trust cares for an amazing 2,000-mile network of navigable canals across England and Wales.
“These precious places, with their narrowboats and history, are at the heart of numerous communities, bringing nature and free-to-access green space to the doorsteps of millions.
“We’re saying nature and your canal need you and are calling on people to make a difference by volunteering.”