Volunteering opportunities
THE Lowland Canals Volunteer Group (LCVG) offers volunteering opportunities across Scottish Canals operations.
Carol Bell and John McGowan are Scottish Canals’ volunteer co-ordinators, John looking after corporate volunteering and Carol
recruiting and supporting individuals.
There’s a volunteering opportunity for everyone.
Many volunteers live close to the canals and may be retired, recovering from illness, or just looking for a reason to get out of the house.
Volunteering can be the end in itself, or a stepping-stone to regaining
confidence, fitness or moving into work or education. Volunteers can complete a Community Achievement Award with Glasgow Kelvin College.
Opportunities include painting, litter-picking and numerous other tasks required to keep the canals pleasant places to be. The use of the Lochrin workboat adds an on-the-water element and regular tracking of litter hotspots makes a big difference to the amount of rubbish reappearing over a period of time.
A new initiative has been the recruitment of self-supervising volunteers who, given training and equipment, take care of specific stretches of the towpath on a regular basis.
As well as the outdoor activities, office-based opportunities are available with volunteers having worked with the Heritage Team, carrying out archival and research tasks, and the Environmental Team, helping to improve Scottish Canals’ approach to water management.
Carol has a background in community learning and development and takes a flexible, person-centred approach to recruiting and supporting volunteers.
She works closely with all new recruits, aiming to find something they’ll love to do.
Volunteers can try anything and there’s no risk – if they don’t enjoy a task, Carol will search out alternatives until the volunteer finds their niche.
After more than four years in the role, Carol says she has the best job in the world. She thrives on the opportunities to contribute to the well-being of both individuals and the canals themselves.
Every day is different, and a coat of paint and a litter pick give an instant lift
to canalside locations.
You can find out more about volunteering by emailing volunteers@ scottishcanals.co.uk
Social enterprise Re-Union Canal Boats operates on the Lowland canals and was founded in 2004 to make cruising on the canals available to all. Re-Union successfully continues with this mission today, providing volunteering and employability opportunities, including lock-keeping duties on the eastern side of the Forth & Clyde Canal.