South Yorkshire canal volunteers getting even more hands on thanks to four-figure Marr Wind Farm fund grant

Volunteers looking after a South Yorkshire canal are fully equipped for the job thanks to a four-figure grant from the community fund linked to a nearby wind fund.

National waterways charity Canal and River Trust has a team of 40 volunteers in South Yorkshire, with around a dozen of these volunteers attending weekly Tuesday morning ‘Towpath Taskforce’ sessions to assist with clearing overhanging vegetation, keeping routes passable, litter removal and general site maintenance along the banks of the Stainforth & Keadby Canal between Long Sandall and Mexborough.

This helps to create a cleaner, safer and more attractive waterside environment for local people and wildlife.

Many of the tools that the volunteers have been using were reaching the end of their working lives, with a lot of challenging manual work required to keep the canalside vegetation in check.

But now, thanks to a £1,315 grant from the Marr Wind Farm Community Fund, the Trust has been able to upgrade the tools, equipment and personal protective equipment that it can provide to make the volunteers’ work easier and more efficient.

A new powered multitool system with a range of attachments for different jobs has been bought, while the grant has also covered the cost of refreshing the team’s supply of essential hand tools, such as loppers, secateurs and gardening gloves.

The Canal & River Trust is the UK’s largest canal charity, caring for 2,000 miles of canals and river navigations across England and Wales, and has more than 5,600 volunteers working alongside its staff.

The Trust protects and maintains a 250-year-old network of waterways and the critical infrastructure that keeps them functioning, including locks, bridges, embankments and reservoirs, as well as the wildlife habitats these waterways support.

The community benefits fund linked to the Marr Wind Farm, which is owned by leading independent renewable energy producer ERG and managed by OnPath Energy, provides around £12,000 of funding for local good causes every year.

The fund operates in line with ERG’s ESG Plan objective of fostering shared value and supporting the sustainable development of the local communities hosting its renewable assets.

Paul Tonge, volunteer leader with the Canal & River Trust, says: “This is a really well-used route and our volunteers put in an awful lot of effort to keep it in peak condition, so that everyone gets to enjoy the best possible environment when they’re walking, running, cycling or sailing by.

“Most of our volunteers are retired waterway enthusiasts, and this project also gives them the chance to enjoy some time in the company of like-minded people, which can be just as important as the environmental side of things.

The new equipment we’ve been able to bring in through this grant will make it much easier for our volunteers to keep on top of everything.”

Paul Tonge, Volunteer leader with Canal & River Trust

“Completing the different jobs that we take on can involve a lot of hard work, especially in the winter months, but the new equipment we’ve been able to bring in through this grant will speed things up and will make it much easier for our volunteers to keep on top of everything.

“Looking after the canal is a never-ending task and we’re very much reliant on donations for covering our costs, so we’re all really grateful for the generous support that we’ve had from the Marr Wind Farm fund.”

Eligibility for the Marr Wind Farm Community Fund is normally restricted to projects and activities within Barnburgh, Brodsworth, Hickleton, High Melton, Marr and Sprotbrough and Cusworth, but projects outside these areas may also be eligible if they can be shown to benefit people living within them.

Organisations and projects that have previously received grants from the Marr fund include St Peter’s Church in Barnburgh, Hickleton Parish Council, All Saints Church in Hooton Pagnell, Adwick upon Dearne Parish Council and the Green Lane Action Committee.

Melissa Falconer, Head of Business Development UK at ERG, said: “With the acquisition of Marr Wind Farm, ERG has taken on a commitment to maintain its responsibilities to the local area, ensuring that the site continues to generate clean energy while remaining a trusted ‘Good Neighbour’ to the local community.

“For ERG, being a Good Neighbour means more than simply providing support. It means sharing values, listening to the local community and making a tangible contribution to its development. It means taking care of the places where we operate, supporting projects that make a positive difference to the community while protecting the wider environment.

“Marr Wind Farm is therefore more than an energy infrastructure asset: it is a shared resource, built on the relationship between ERG and the local community. Through collaboration, it can help deliver a more sustainable future where clean energy, the local landscape and rural heritage can thrive together.”

Tom Chaplin, partnership and community manager at OnPath Energy, adds: “The members of the Towpath Taskforce are absolutely dedicated to looking after their local area and their work is exactly the sort of community improvement project that the Marr Wind Farm was set up to support.”

Environmental and community projects which are interested in applying to the Marr Wind Farm Community Fund should first contact the fund manager on 0191 378 6342 or via apply@onpathcommunityfund.co.uk to confirm that their group or project is eligible.