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A cleaner, brighter canal at Northlight
Published: Thursday, 1st June 2017
Volunteers from the Brierfield Action in the Community Youth Panel and local residents at the clean up.
This week young volunteers took part in a clean up along a stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal under Northlight, Brierfield Mill, to Carr Road in Nelson.
Students from Marsden Heights Community College, Brierfield Action in the Community Youth Panel and Whitefield Community Association and other volunteers teamed up for a day’s litter picking.
Audrey Drinkwater, Pendle Council’s Communities Officer said:
“We adopted this stretch of canal back in 2014.
“Our aim was to improve the environment alongside our flagship development, Northlight.”
The iconic Lancashire mill is owned by Pendle Council and local developer Barnfield Investment Properties through the PEARL joint venture company.
“Since our adoption we’ve been organising regular litter picks with help from the Canals and Rivers Trust,” explained Audrey.
“They provide a workboat and fishing nets so that we can trawl for floating debris and we also litter pick along the towpath,” she said.
“The canal is such an important feature of our area and a vital part of our industrial heritage,” Audrey said.
On the day the young people also learnt some of the history of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal from the Canal & River Trust.
“These canal clean ups also make the canal environment more pleasant for everyone from dog walkers to cyclists, narrow boaters to canoeists,” she added.
Lynne Blackburn, Director of Participation Works NW, helped Pendle Council with volunteers for the event.
Lynne said: “It was a really good day, we enjoyed doing it!”
Audrey added: “We’ll be meeting with our young volunteers in July to discuss their great ideas for a planting scheme along this important stretch of our canal, working in collaboration with the Canal & River Trust.”
Anyone who’d like to volunteer to help with future clean ups can contact Audrey on 01282 661339 or by e mail: audrey.drinkwater@pendle.gov.uk
Photograph shows the clean up team including volunteers from the Youth Panel of Brierfield Action in the Community and local residents.
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