Volunteering makes us feel 30 years younger!
Tony and Zita have been living the good life and holding back the years, volunteering on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. This feature was written before the lockdown restrictions.
FOR former accountant Tony Aldridge it’s an easy calculation – 1000 hours at a sedate 2.3mph equals 2300 miles.
That’s the distance he and wife Zita have travelled in their boat Matilda since setting off from Liverpool in 2016. Their floating home is currently moored in Tewkesbury Marina and it’s the place they return to after spending their Mondays as volunteer bridge support rangers with the Canal & River Trust.
The couple are not new to waterways, nor to volunteering. Tony’s towpath litter-picking and scrub-bashing dates back to the 1960s and over the years they’ve both added many new skills to their volunteering portfolio. Their diverse CVs include lime mortaring, bridge operating and hedge laying – a far cry from their former lives in accountancy, teaching, customer service and running a B&B.
As bridge support rangers Tony and Zita are making the most of their communication skills and their knowledge of boating and the local canal network. They’re based at Shepherd’s Patch Bridge on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal where they’re tidying the towpath, painting and helping with the opening and closing of the bridge.
They’re also chatting with the many passing tourists and walkers on their way to nearby Slimbridge. It’s an ideal spot for the wildlife-loving couple whose eco-credentials, (which include green business awards for their B&B) have been made a case study by Exeter University. And conversations can easily wander to other environmental subjects. When it comes to sustainability the Aldridges walk the walk (or should that be float the float?) with a solar-powered lifestyle on Matilda, which includes rainwater harvesting, diligent recycling and no fumes from stove or gas.
Volunteering together means that they both share the benefits of their waterway life. As Tony concludes: “Since retiring in 2016 we’ve explored the UK by boat, visiting so many wonderful places. We love the waterways and believe that, as users, we should all do our bit to care for them. It’s mutually beneficial – we’re doing something we love and we’re keeping fit and active. Volunteering is knocking years off our ages – we both feel 40 again!”