Community Engagement
The Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust actively engages within the local community along the canal route.
Trust Social Meetings
Trust Social Meetings are intended for both members and non-members to share a topic of general interest to either the canal membership or surrounding community. The evenings are both enjoyable and informative; with a short presentation on the topic together with an opportunity to get a brief update on DSCT activities, events and the latest canal developments.
Participation and suggestions of speakers or topics are always very welcome. Please contact: Chris Madge at chris.madge@derbycanal.org.uk.
Members are charged a small fee of £2 to cover costs. We warmly welcome non-members, who are charged £3 each, and provides with an opportunity to join the Trust if interested!
The Trust social meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month; except for a Summer break in August and a Christmas break in December.
Meeting the Community
The Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust regularly attends local events to raise awareness and support for the Trust’s endeavours.
If you are interested in helping at one of these events, or if you are an event organiser, or you know of other events where the societies participation could be of interest, then please contact us directly for more information.
ARTEMIS
“Aquatic Remote Technology Environmental Mitigation (and) Intercept System”
We first introduced ARTEMIS with a post on our website here written by Archit, ARTEMIS’ technical owner on behalf of the Derby & Sandiacre Canal Trust (DSCT). Following ARTEMIS on Twitter: @artemisboat
The Concept
During the construction of the Derby Riverboat in 2019, it was realised that the Trust could use this opportunity to develop a project that could help in spreading awareness about water pollution caused by micro/macro plastics from our local rivers; and that’s how the idea of ARTEMIS was born!
ARTEMIS is a radio-controlled boat. It was designed to inspire a new generation of engineers to design new technology and apply it to help face the big challenges faced across the world. ARTEMIS took part in the Canal and River Trust’s Plastic Challenge in 2023; it has now been decommissioned and is now an interactive demo on the Derby Riverboat. Watch the video to see it in action!
The Design
The boat was designed to consist of adjoined dual hulls made from non-degradable plastic, with both a plastic collection system employed on-board. Micro & macro plastics will be collected from the water’s surface using the space between the hull sections as a “mouth” and a collection guard, to stop floating plastic escaping.
The original design was revised to improve robustness. Keeping the previous dual hull system in mind, swimming floats were used create the hulls, they were secured using acrylic sheets. The Hulls were secured using square tubing that will also allow the water to pass through and filter any micro-macro plastic using an appropriate sieving mechanism. The vessel is radio controlled, and the Dave Fillingham, a retired Rolls-Royce employee, has supported the development of the vessel’s control system.
The Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust would like to thank the following people for their fantastic support throughout this project:
Archit Sharma – A Manufacturing Engineer at Rolls-Royce who managed this project and did much of the construction work in his own garage!
Dave Fillingham – A Retired Engineer from Rolls-Royce whose expertise in control electronics enabled ARTEMIS to run in the first place
Dr Michael Sweet – Marine Biologist at the University of Derby who shared his expertise on the environmental impact of plastics as part of this project.
If you would like to find out more about how plastics in rivers affects the marine environment follow this link… Introduction to the problem of Plastic in Rivers – YouTube
Boat Lift STEM model
The working scale model of the Derby Arm Boat lift has been on public display in Derby since the beginning of 2018. The model is on display at the University’s Markeaton Street Campus where it has been since 2023. The model was originally built by 12 Rolls-Royce graduates and trainees as part of their community project in 2017. This interactive display spent its first year on public display in Derby’s Local Studies Library, in the newly refurbished Riverside Chambers building where it attracted many budding young engineers and their families. The model has been carefully designed so that it can be used as a STEM education tool for school children across the city, teaching them about canals, mechanics, electronics and the latest manufacturing techniques. It will also continue to be used to bring the Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust’s regeneration plans to the attention of the wider public.
page last updated:- 25/08/2026