A community narrowboat could soon be giving young people new skills, taking disadvantaged people on boat trips, and supporting plans to reopen the Lichfield and Hatherton canals – but only if it gets enough votes in an online poll.
The Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust is bidding for £25,000 towards buying, licensing and insuring a narrowboat which would be made available for the benefit of local community groups for a small fee. The Trust believes it would:
. Promote the work of the Trust to open the canals
. Help local tourism
. Provide local jobs and training
. Reduce vandalism by making local youngsters feel part of the community.
But it will only happen it the Trust succeeds in securing the One Family Foundation’s Community Award, and it’s up against some good non-canal related projects. If you want to support it, you can vote at https://foundation.onefamily.com/projects/canal-day-boat-for-community-use/ (you’ll need to register and sign in) between now and 3 November.
