Search for new lock keepers and swing bridge operators to help on Yorkshire's historic canals

The Canal & River Trust is now looking for volunteers who could be a new lock keeper, or help with swing bridges and the wonderful wildlife habitats that thrive here.

The campaign is backed by television presenter and trust ambassador Ranvir Singh, who said there has been a "remarkable" growth in canal volunteering over the past decade.

Despite this, he added, ever more extreme weather events illustrate the "fragility" of our national collection of canals - and the wildlife they are home to.

“As this season passes into spring and then into summer, there is such a wide variety of volunteering opportunities to get involved with on your local canal," he said.

"Taking part helps you feel like you have a legacy within your local area and to be proud of the environment you live in. It’s great to think that you can improve your own wellbeing, your community and even the environment in one go, just by volunteering."

England and Wales' historic canal network, stretching 2,000 miles, was once a critical cog in the country's transport infrastructure.

They would have been busy with boats, under an age of industrial revolution, transporting coal and goods from cities such as Leeds to Liverpool or along small communities between.

Now it is charity staff charged with their care. They need help, for lock keeping or to operate historic swing bridges. Then at waterways museums, or on visits to primary schools. Or carrying out basic canal maintenance and wildlife improvements along their length.

Canals have long been proven to have a positive impact. A study last year by King’s College London showed positive associations between visits to waterways and mental wellbeing.

And according to the data, there has been a 30 per cent increase in people using canals in the past four years. This could be for boating, or angling, cycling and running.

Christine Mellor, head of volunteering at the Canal & River Trust, said teams work alongside experts to expand the impact of its work.

"With volunteers’ support, donating their time, knowledge, and skills, we are better able to keep our canals available for nature and wildlife and for communities to benefit from," she said.

"The ageing canal network, coupled with challenges of extreme weather and recently announced future cuts in government funding, demands our call out for all hands on deck. If you are interested and thinking of joining us, our message is ‘your canal needs you’.”