Support needed

I write as a volunteer Chichester Canal Skipper of 10 years’ standing. There are over 100 volunteers at the Canal working hard to provide a splendid amenity for Chichester.

Forty years ago the canal was abandoned, overgrown and impassable, with old cars and other rubbish. Volunteer canal lovers set to work in the mud and they and other volunteers who came after them gradually brought the canal to its present lovely condition.

Some volunteers maintain the canal towpaths, banks and bed, constantly clearing weeds, reeds and overhanging vegetation. Others run the two boats, Richmond and Kingfisher, enjoyed over the years by hundreds of passengers, as they glide along the canal, taking in the impressive wildlife. The boats are maintained by skilled volunteers.

Yet other volunteers run the canal shop providing refreshments, hiring out rowing boats and giving out licences to paddleboarders.

Why do we volunteers put in hours each week? Because we love the canal and enjoy seeing the public enjoying it, too. Personally, I find working as a boat skipper with other crew members very rewarding.

The canal charity surprisingly receives no funding from local authorities but keeps going through the efforts of its volunteers.

I don’t want the canal to revert to its abysmal state of 40 years ago and so lend my voice to the canal’s plea that residents support the crowd-funding campaign to raise £10,000 by December 1, this year. Please visit www.spacehive.com/ chichestercanalfuture for information.

CLIFF ARCHER Chidham Lane Chidham