Chesterfield Canal Trust
The Chesterfield Canal Trust is a charitable company ran entirely by volunteers.
The Trust aims to promote the full restoration and appropriate development of the Chesterfield Canal, alongside campaigning for the construction of the Rother Valley Link. This would be a navigable waterway joining the Chesterfield Canal to the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.
The Trust’s base is the restored and extended Hollingwood Lock House, renamed as Hollingwood Hub, where it has its Information Centre & Shop. The building also houses Katey’s Coffee Shop. There is a large, free car park and the gardens, with plenty of seating, are a delight.
In Chesterfield, the Trust runs two tripboats – ‘John Varley II’ from Tapton Lock and ‘Madeline’ from Hollingwood Hub. The Trust’s volunteer Work Party has restored four locks in Chesterfield and built two more from scratch.
The Trust is currently restoring a section of the canal at Staveley as part of the Staveley Town Deal. The work includes a new bridge, a new lock, a new pumping system and the new Bellhouse Basin.
Trust secretary, Rod Auton, said:
“Becoming Chesterfield Champions was an obvious step for the Trust. We already promote Chesterfield with our publicity trailer all over the region; our Visitor Guide, of which we distribute 20,000 copies per year, lists 20 Chesterfield businesses and we have hosted several Champions events. In return, we get an opportunity to project the Trust and its activities to a wider constituency and connect with other businesses at Champions events.”
The Trust currently has over 2000 members but is always looking to recruit more.
