Join our community of volunteers to help operate our historical swing bridges along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. As the friendly face of the waterways, you will interact with the public on the towpath, maintain safety and of course, open the bridges for boats! Visit some of the most beautiful spots in the area and enjoy the bustle of activity on a busy summer’s afternoon or the tranquility of a spring morning surrounded by wildlife. Volunteers can work alone or as a pair operating a bridge, keeping things running smoothly whilst maintaining the heritage of the canal.

All you need to bring is an ability to learn and communicate and an enthusiasm for the waterways. We will provide full training in bridge operation and essential health and safety training. You’ll take responsibility for significant heritage structures, sometimes stopping traffic and responding to incidents but you are never far from a colleague and will be working within a fantastically supportive team. If you require specific support please let us know and we can seek to facilitate this.

This is a fantastic way to learn more about canals and what’s involved in keeping them alive.

Why we want you

As a Waterway Ranger you'll be the face, eyes and ears of the Trust. Having a regular friendly presence on the towpath means a lot for visitors and supporters and goes a long way to us caring for and sustaining our fantastic network for future generations. we need your support to be there for our customers. You'll be assisting our visitor experience at some of our most beautiful sites, as well as possibly working in our more remote and niche environments, learning more about our waterways. Your support to help maintain our network will help us achieve our goal to keep canals alive.

What you will be doing

Talking to customers

Reporting issues from the Towpath

Helping Customers

When you register as a volunteer, we will ask you about any unspent convictions which you need to declare and risk assess these as needs be.

The skills you need

Great communication skills. This is all about talking to people.

Practical skills – it’s also about minor maintenance to ensure that your locks are functional.

Teamworking skills – whilst you may spend some of your time alone, fundamentally you’re part of a team.

What's in it for you

It's a great way to meet other local volunteers, learn new skills, and hear about other volunteering opportunities if you fancy getting more involved.

Ranger (Volunteer Bridge Keeper)

Ranger (Volunteer Bridge Keeper)

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