Chesterfield Canal Trust
The Chesterfield Canal Trust is a charitable company ran entirely by volunteers.
The Trust aims to promote the full restoration and appropriate development of the Chesterfield Canal, alongside campaigning for the construction of the Rother Valley Link. This would be a navigable waterway joining the Chesterfield Canal to the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. It is currently campaigning to complete the restoration by 2027, which will be the 250th Anniversary of the canal’s opening.
In Chesterfield, the Trust runs two tripboats – ‘John Varley’ which runs from Tapton Lock and the ‘Madeline’ that runs from Hollingwood Hub. The Trust’s volunteer Work Party has restored four locks in Chesterfield and built two more from scratch. Its base is the restored and extended Hollingwood Lock House, renamed as Hollingwood Hub. The Hub boasts a coffee shop, the capacity to host events, an Information Centre and a shop. It holds regular festivals which attract many thousands of visitors to the town.
Trust secretary, Rod Auton, said:
“Becoming Chesterfield Champions was an obvious step for the Trust. We already promote Chesterfield with our publicity trailer all over the region; our Visitor Guide, of which we distribute 25,000 copies per year, lists 20 Chesterfield businesses and we have hosted several Champions events at Hollingwood Hub. In return, we get an opportunity to project the Trust and its activities to a wider constituency and connect with other businesses at Champions events.”
The Trust currently has over 2000 members but is always looking to recruit more.
