DSCT – Return of Working Parties at the Cottages – Covid-19

To enable the Canal Cottages project to continue and to allow contractors on site, the Directors of the Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust have agreed, on the 20/05/2020 for volunteers to to work at the cottages. This is all in line with the Governments reduced restrictions and their document ‘Working safe during Covid-19 in construction and other outdoor activities’ – 11/05/2020 and the Inland Waterways Association Guidance ‘Restoration & Branch working parties during Coronavirus’ – 12/05/2020.

Work will be limited to essential tasks and carried out by an invited limited group of volunteers. A list of work has been created which will allow safe working for the volunteers on site and they all will be required to work in line with our ‘Expected Standard of Behaviour’ statement. Uninvited volunteer, attending site, will be asked to return home. There will be other working parties to help us with.

We have created a Method Statement and Risk Assessment for the work at the cottages, to ensure that all the volunteers work safely. These can be viewed by clicking the bold  titles above . We have also posted at the cottages a statement from the Trust confirming that we have set a number of guidelines and working in line with the Government Guidelines.

Hopefully, as the restrictions are reduced, we will be able to return to ‘Extreme Gardening Working Parties’.These will be to enable us to keep control of all the work that the volunteers have been done over the last few years to improve the canal line, and get it ready for the dig out at Draycott.