The Canal and River Trust are looking for volunteers for the iconic role of lock-keeper for Old Ford Lock on the Regents Canal next to Victoria Park. You will be helping passing boaters and lending a hand to maintain the waterway.
Rosemarie Coffey, who began at Old Ford Locks a year ago, says: “We get a lot of people on the towpath stopping to watch the boats and asking about the canal. A typical day revolves around helping people through the locks, painting and even gardening.”
Volunteers help keep the historic tradition of lock-keeping alive after more than 200 years. Training is given and anyone over 18 can volunteer, whatever their experience.
Trust co-ordinator Nadia Payne said: “Lock keeping is probably the most iconic job on the waterways. You learn new skills and give help for the hundreds-of-thousands of people we get to the canal each year.”
Applications to be a volunteer lock-keeper are open now, with training and induction given by the Canal & River Trust beginning in March. The trust looks after 1,583 locks in 2,000 miles of waterways up and down the country.