The Chesterfield Canal Trust

The Chesterfield Canal Trust is a charitable company run entirely by volunteers.

The aims of the Trust are to promote the full restoration and appropriate development of the Chesterfield Canal, and to campaign for the construction of the Rother Valley Link, a navigable waterway to join the Chesterfield Canal to the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

In Chesterfield, the Trust runs two tripboats –  ‘John Varley’ which runs from Tapton Lock and the ‘Madeline’ that runs from Hollingwood Hub. The Trust’s volunteer Work Party has restored four locks in Chesterfield and built two more from scratch; the latest – Staveley Town Lock – was opened at our Festival in May 2016. Their base is the restored and extended Hollingwood Lock House – now called Hollingwood Hub – complete with a coffee shop and capacity to host events.

Becoming Chesterfield Champions was an obvious step for the Trust because they promote Chesterfield with their publicity trailer all over the region; the Visitor Guide, of which they distribute 30,000 copies per year, lists 21 Chesterfield businesses and they have hosted several Champions events at Hollingwood Hub. In return they get an opportunity to project the Trust and it’s activities to a wider constituency. The Trust currently has over 1600 members, but they are always looking to recruit more!