Chesterfield Canal Trust awarded over £15,000 for environmental and volunteer projects
Chesterfield Canal Trust has secured more than £15,000 in community grants to fund environmental improvements and expand volunteer opportunities along the canal.
The Trust received £2,531. from the Co-op’s Local Community Fund, following months of public voting by Co-op members. The grant will help drive forward the Rewatering Renishaw project, which aims to restore a stretch of the canal and create a vibrant waterside space complete with new trees, wildflowers, picnic areas and enhanced habitats for local wildlife.
Kath Auton, Trustee said the team had been “incredibly grateful” for the backing from local shoppers.
“Our volunteer Work Party has already started the Rewatering Renishaw project,” she said. “We’re hoping to be recruiting more volunteers from the local community next year.”
Following on from the Co-op award, the Trust learned in late November that it had also been successful in its bid to the National Lottery Community Fund, receiving £12,880 from the Awards for All (Environment) programme. The funding supports community-led projects that tackle climate and nature challenges, while helping local people enjoy and care for green spaces.
The Trust’s project will focus on expanding its volunteer workforce over the next two years, aiming to recruit ten existing volunteers and twenty new ones. Volunteers will work on habitat management both on the water and along the towpath in Derbyshire, supporting nature recovery and improving areas that are open for everyone to enjoy.
The grant will also fund specialist training, including ecological best practice, environmental surveying, and safe use of equipment such as chainsaws and brush cutters. The Trust plans to train trainers who can then pass on their knowledge to the wider volunteer team.
Although the two-year project officially launches in February 2026, planning is already well underway.
The Trust says both grants will play a vital role in protecting and enhancing one of the area’s most cherished natural assets, while giving more local people the chance to get involved in hands-on conservation.
The bid was written by the Trust’s Funding Officer, Ian Sesnan, and Steve Waller, who is a Trustee.
Steve said: “The Chesterfield Canal Trust is very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund. Lots of people ask to help with our work, but proper training and getting the right equipment can be very expensive.
This grant will enable us to really expand our operation so that local people will be able to look after their beautiful canal for the benefit of everyone.”
