Canoe trail a splash hit!
CANOEISTS can paddle under the Pennines for the first time – thanks to an ambitious new coast-to-coast adventure trail.
The £1.3million Desmond Family Canoe Trail, funded by Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, opens up a 160-mile stretch of the nation’s waterways. The trail, which connects Liverpool and Goole, East Yorks, will take paddlers between seven and 10 days to complete.
Work has now been completed on the 200-year-old mile-long Foulridge tunnel near Burnley. That’s a major step forward for the scheme, which involves young people from some of Britain’s most deprived communities.
Yesterday Richard Martin, the commercial director of Daily Express publisher Northern & Shell, became one of the first to take on the tunnel challenge, along with his family.
After meeting some of the volunteers involved in the project, he said: “It’s been a real privilege to spend the day here – seeing the difference that the Richard Desmond funding has made to young people’s lives. It was fantastic to experience Foulridge – you can see the light at the end of the tunnel straight away and just keep heading for it.”
Wife Susan and daughters Philippa, 12, and Emma, 9, also loved it. “I thought it was really enjoyable,” Philippa said. “I’d like to do a lot more canoeing from now on.” Greg Brookes is programme manager for the trail, which also aims to develop the confidence and work skills of nearly 2,000 youngsters, who will bring it to fruition by 2020. They will improve the environment, clean up graffiti and plant new community gardens and habitats.
“We are halfway through and the Foulridge tunnel is a real highlight,” said Mr Brookes. “It’s never been open to paddlers before – the focus has been on boaters. Now we have a traffic light system that means kayakers and canoers don’t have to get out and transport their boats themselves.
“We hope to encourage more people to use our waterways.”