A new scheme using the Rochdale Canal as a focus, is encouraging local community groups to enjoy the wonderful waterway as a place to improve health and wellbeing by taking up canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding or cycling.
The Canals and Rivers Trust are inviting not-for-profit community groups to apply for Sport England-funded grants of between £500 – £5,000 to deliver canal-based activity projects to assist in recovery from the long-term impact of pandemic lockdowns and the subsequent cost of living crisis. Applications should be submitted by the end of December and feature plans for organisations to reach out to local residents and engage them in physical activity along the canal.
Sara Ponting, our Together Fund engagement coordinator, said: “This is a great chance to support local communities with funding for physical activity initiatives along the waterway. We are supporting local groups who do invaluable work, from tackling loneliness, to supporting young people to help improve their wellbeing.
“The Rochdale Canal, like other former industrial canals, has been reinvented in the 21st century as a vital on-the-doorstep destination to improve health and wellbeing. New research proves that the canal’s mix of blue and green space with wildlife is particularly powerful for helping to make you feel healthier and happier.
“Hopefully this fund will help groups provide new opportunities for people to explore their local canal and get fitter joining in fun activities by water in the great outdoors.”
