The aspirations of a few volunteers in 1967/68 galvanised many more to join ECP&DA  and take action to save the Erewash Canal from closure. Without them, the restoration of the Langley Bridge Lock and the Great Northern Basin plus the many other achievements of the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association (ECP&DA) to date would never have been attained.

Why do people volunteer?

Everyone volunteers for a reason. Our volunteers help out the ECP&DA for a number of reasons, including:

• A love of the outdoors and interest in the environment
• To learn new skills
• Learn to use a range of different tools/machinery
• An interest in canals and boating
• Meeting new people and socialising
• Offering or gaining certain expertise – e.g fundraising, publicity, charity involvement, planning, conservation
• Offering their creative experience – e.g. photography, websites, and publishing
• Keeping fit and healthy
• An interest in local history

You may have different reasons why you want to volunteer. How would you like to help us? Get in touch and tell us a bit about yourself, everyone is welcome. Any knowledge or experience you can bring is always useful, but the most important thing is to be a team player and have a genuine interest in supporting ECP&DA and its core objectives.

Are you an outdoor or indoor person?

Friday work parties at Langley Mill Basin
If you like getting your boots dirty our Langley Mill Work Party meets every Friday. The work is varied and could be around the Langley Mill Basin emptying the bins, grass cutting, painting fences, or helping in the workshop; it could be along the Erewash Canal carrying out litter picking, tree/ branch removal, lock repairs/ repainting; or it could be carrying out maintenance at the Sandiacre Lock cottages or one of our other buildings.

As with just about everything these days there are Health & Safety considerations and the use of correct footwear and PPE to be discussed and explained before anything else, so please do not turn up unannounced as there may not be anyone at the Langley Mill HQ building to meet you and it may not be possible to complete the induction without an arranged appointment. To make an appointment in the first instance complete and submit the Volunteer Enquiry Form.

Sandiacre Lock Cottages open days
We are looking for volunteers to help run our Lock Cottages. There is always background work when we are closed to the public, i.e. baking cakes for feeding our visitors on Open days, regular cleaning/ decorating and general preparation. On Open days we need volunteers to serve the public with refreshments. Our Sandiacre Lock Cottages open once a month, plus Bank Holidays. If you are genuinely interested in helping as a volunteer on our Open Days in the first instance complete and submit the Volunteer Enquiry Form.

Helping with events administration
If you have something to offer such as using your skills in event planning, marketing, project management,  fundraising/grant applications, IT, customer service, teaching/youth work in the first instance complete and submit the Volunteer Enquiry Form.

We understand your time is probably limited, and therefore you are free to commit as much or as little as you are able to the Association's work.

• Volunteer enquiry (Langley Mill work party)
• Volunteer enquiry (Sandiacre Lock cottages)