Wooden Canal Boat Society

The Wooden Canal Boat Society in Tameside is about much more than just restoring old canal boats. It's a true community project that brings people from all walks of life together. Kath from the Wooden Canal Boat Society tell us how funding from The Co-operative Bank's Customer Donation Fund helped when emergency funds were needed.

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''Everyone involved in the canal boat project is doing their bit to preserve the history and traditional skills associated with these boats. The boats we restore are used to provide respite trips for people suffering poor mental health or stress - there's something very relaxing about a trip on a canal."

"As well as learning new skills our volunteers also become part of a great community, giving them opportunities to socialise, make good friendships and break the cycle of loneliness and social exclusion that many have experienced. They get to contribute to something positive and make a real difference to our community."

"While we work hard to raise funds through our charity shop and other donations, we needed extra funds this year to fix the engine on the boat that tows one of our fully restored canal boats, Hazel. The funding came at just the right time as the engine had broken down just that month. If we hadn't received the money from The Co-operative Bank's Customer Donation Fund, Hazel would have been out of service for the summer."

"Hazel is now back on the water providing wellbeing trips where people can relax and enjoy a few hours at 'canal pace', meeting new people and enjoying some time to recharge their batteries.''

Customer case study from 2017

Read more about our Customer Donation Fund

Apply for the Customer Donation Fund

If you’re a Community Directplus account holder, you can apply for up to £1,000 from the Customer Donation Fund to support special projects and fundraising activities by completing the form below.

The closing dates for applications are in March and September. We assess applications in April and October.