Students at City of Wolverhampton College will be fishing shopping trolleys, traffic cones and rubbish from a local canal as part of a community project that forms part of their course.
The group of seven students — who are enrolled on a progression to work programme at the college’s Wellington Road campus — will be working alongside members of the local branch of the Canal and River Trust to clear up a section of the Wyrley and Essington canal at Bentley Bridge in Wednesfield, on Monday, 7 November.
As well as clearing out the waterway to improve access for boaters and the habitat for wildlife, they will also be litter picking to tidy up the towpath and make the area more attractive to canal users.
The project enables the students to use the communication, problem solving and teamwork skills that they are learning on their course to work alongside trust members to determine what tasks need to be carried out, the equipment required and the how to complete the work safely.
Student Tyler Cooper, aged 21, from Eastfield, said: “I’m looking forward to taking part in the clear-up and removing the rubbish from the canal and towpath to make the area safer and nicer for people to use.”
Ellie Watton, from Canal & River Trust, said: “It’s fantastic that students from City of Wolverhampton College are spending the day helping us to remove fly-tipped rubbish and clean up the canal and towpath.
“Our canals provide local people and visitors green and blue traffic-free routes in and around the city. They are on the doorstep of so many people in the region and we know that spending time on and by the water is good for health and wellbeing, that’s why it is so important they are cared for with the help of the local community.”
Get details of the progression to work programme here
