England’s first ever Coast to Coast canal route will be coming through Greater Manchester, transforming 150 miles of canal on the way.
The scheme, being set up by the Rivers and Canal Trust, will involve more than 10,000 young people from some of England’s most deprived communities, and will create social action squads along the length of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and Aire and Calder Navigation, connecting communities along the route to each other and their local environment and waterways.
The trail will be the longest of its kind in the UK, first launching in Merseyside and over five years stretching to Humberside. Along the way it will connect towns and cities including Liverpool, Wigan, Blackburn, Burnley, Leeds, Skipton and Goole.
The project is being developed thanks to a generous £1.3 million donation from The Desmond Foundation. Along with designing the trail the young people will organise and run a year-round programme of activity for their community including canoe taster sessions. Physical improvements to the route including planting new community gardens and habitats along the trail will also take place.
Tony Hales, chairman of the Canal & River Trust adds: “We want communities to use canals to enrich their lives as part of a healthy and fun lifestyle. Canoeing is a great sport, growing in popularity, for the young and the older. We want to make it accessible and enjoyed by many more families and individuals, whatever their physical ability.”
Richard Desmond, who founded The Desmond Foundation, said: “I’m delighted to be able to fund such a remarkable and unique project which will clearly change the lives of thousands of young people for years to come.”
