West Cheshire College students stage canal clean-up challenge

Mar 3 2011 Chester Chronicle

COMMUNITY conscious students from West Cheshire College completed a clean-up challenge for the National Waterways Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port.

Using a barge supplied by the Waterways Trust, the students, all on the BTEC introductory diploma in public services, picked up litter from around the canal path and surrounding area starting from the museum and finishing in Chester city centre. The nine-mile route was completed by the team of 10 who came up with the project while volunteering at the museum throughout their course.

Having spent three hours a week at the National Waterways Museum since the beginning of September, the students have been involved in many projects including maintenance of the museum’s hedgeways, helping out in the boatyard and picking up litter from the surrounding areas.

Public services tutor James McQueen said: “I’m really impressed with the dedication shown by these students, as not only have they planned and organised this clean-up entirely by themselves but they have enthusiastically given up their time each week to assist the waterways museum in any way they can.”