WRG North West
Working party dates
Welcome to the webpage for Waterway Recovery Group North West
Waterway Recovery Group volunteers support waterway restoration projects across England and Wales. Our regional groups run weekend visits to restoration projects (and sometimes navigable waterways). Put simply, we dig canals!
Want to join us?
Below is a list of upcoming dates for both WRGNW organised, London WRG organised and other local society organised working parties. If you are interested in getting involved, please use the contact links or complete our enquiry form.
| date from | date to | canal & organiser | where | contact |
| various | usually Tue/Fri/Sat | Shrewsbury & Newport Canal - S&NCT | Newport/Wappenshall/Shrewsbury | Facebook website |
| 16/11/2024 | 16/11/2024 | Sankey | Foundry Wharf, St.Helens | Facebook website flyer |
| 16/11/2024 | 17/11/2024 | Manchester, Bolton & Bury | Nob End Locks | Facebook website |
| 22/11/2024 | 24/11/2024 | Uttoxeter - WRGNW | TBC | Facebook group Facebook page |
| 06/12/2024 | 08/12/2024 | Wey & Arun - London WRG/KESCRG | Kirdford village hall | |
| 21/12/2024 | 22/12/2024 | Manchester, Bolton & Bury | Nob End Locks | Facebook website |
| 10/01/2025 | 12/01/2025 | TBA - London WRG | TBA | |
| 21/02/2025 | 23/02/2025 | Shrewsbury & Newport Canal - London WRG | Uffington Village Hall | |
| 04/04/2025 | 06/04/2025 | TBA - London WRG/KESCRG | TBA | |
| 16/05/2025 | 18/05/2025 | TBA - London WRG | TBA | |
| 13/06/2025 | 15/06/2025 | Balsam removal on Uttoxeter canal - London WRG | TBA | |
| 05/09/2025 | 07/09/2025 | TBA - London WRG | TBA | |
| 03/10/2025 | 05/10/2025 | Shrewsbury & Newport - London WRG | Uffington Village Hall | |
| TBC | TBC | IWA - Manchester canals | TBC | Facebook website |
IWA Manchester Branch monthly open meetings - October - April
The talks are held at the Castlefield Hotel (part of the Y.M.C.A. complex) on Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4JR. The entrance is on the side facing towards Deansgate and overlooking the Castlefield outdoor events area. Please arrive by 19:15, with the talk commencing at 19:30, the talks are free to attend and everyone is welcome, though a donation towards the costs is appreciated.
| 11/11/2024 | A Canal Honeymoon – 1962 – a hilarious romantic voyage out to Llangollen! | Roger Butler | |
| 16/12/2024 | Christmas Social with Jacob's feast | ||
| 13/01/2025 | The old tram road bridge and tram road (waggon way) that was part of the Lancaster Canal | Nigel Hardacre | |
| 10/02/2025 | Construction of Ship Canal Swing bridges taken at the time by the MSC photographer (part 2) | Judith Atkinson | |
| 10/03/2025 | TBA | TBA | |
| 14/04/2025 | TBA | TBA | |
| Photographs of the construction of the Ship Canal taken at the time by the MSC photographer | Two boxes of Lantern Slides were recently discovered on ebay by Paul Hassel and can now be shown. These were taken during the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. Part 1 (in October) covers some of the first box of slides whilst Part 2 (in February) concentrates on the bridges and aqueduct constructions. | Judith Atkinson is a retired engineer, industrial historian and writer. She is well known for her extensive knowledge of industrial history and is much in demand for her entertaining and informative talks. | |
| A Canal Honeymoon – 1962 – a hilarious romantic voyage out to Llangollen! | This promises to be a different and entertaining talk probably showing views reminiscent of our canals in the 1960s . Roger points out that it is not his own honeymoon! | Roger Butler is an experienced lecturer who speaks to groups and societies throughout the UK. He also an established writer/photographer and regularly contributes to a wide range of magazines covering the outdoors, countryside, canals, heritage and travel. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society and a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute. He is also a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild. Roger has a particular interest in the heritage of our canals and his talks include fascinating archive images of our wonderful waterways - as well as colourful contemporary images. |
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| The old tram road bridge and tram road (waggon way) that was part of the Lancaster Canal | The old tramway bridged a gap in the Lancaster Canal where the line crossed the Ribble by a timber bridge. This bridge – the Old Tram Bridge – has recently been demolished to be replaced by 2026. | Nigel is member of IWA’s Lancashire and Cumbria Branch. He regularly leads walks on the canals in and around Preston. | |