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Canal workers win national award

9th Aug 2006

A small team of canal workers who look after Woodlesford Lock on the Aire & Calder Navigation in Yorkshire have won a prestigious national award celebrating the outstanding way they maintain the canal. Up against stiff competition from canal workers from across the country, the team are the 50th winners of the Lock & Bridge Award since it was first presented half a century ago.

A team of canal workers who look after the Coventry Canal, nr Lichfield in Staffordshire have also won an award celebrating the outstanding way they look after their length of canal.

To win the award the teams were nominated as maintaining the best kept waterway in the area before going through to the national final where they were up against teams from across British Waterways’ 2,200 mile nationwide network of canals and rivers.

The waterway length winners, Stephen Rooney, Adam Baily, Alan Caudell, Richard Douce, David Smith, have cared for this part of the Coventry Canal for a number of years

The lock and bridge winners were Andy Ackerman, Mick Fellows, Darren Hulme and Pat Armitage. Andy comments: "We’re very proud to have won the 50th Lock & Bridge Award. It’s quite an honour to think that we’ve won an accolade that was first awarded in a time when commercial freight traffic on the canal was an every day sight.

"Today, the purpose of the canal has changed and working on the canal bank gives us great pride," said Andy. "In caring for the waterway we’re making it a better place to visit for the hundreds of walkers, cyclists, runners and nature lovers that we see visiting this stretch of canal each day."

Laurence Morgan, general manager for British Waterways’ Yorkshire comments: "I am delighted that Andy and his team have won the 50th Lock & Bridge Award. They are out on the canal bank in all weathers and the award is recognition of the excellent way they look after the Woodlesford Lock."

Last updated: 22/10/2008