AS PART of a programme of activities to support staff well-being, the Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service (BCVS) team spent the day volunteering on the Python workboat on the Chesterfield Canal between Shaw Lock and West Stockwith.
A total of 17 BCVS staff took part in two sessions; the morning team joining Python under blue skies and sunshine at Shaw Lock, just outside Gringley-on-the-Hill. Following a safety briefing and with a cup of tea in hand, they assisted to bring Python through the first lock and under the Shaw Lock bridge to set off on their journey to West Stockwith.
The team then split their time between working from the boat and along the towpath, clearing obstacles and overhanging branches, picking up rubbish and debris, and generally making sure the towpath and canal were clear and usable for other walkers and boats. The afternoon team joined the boat at West Stockwith and headed back to Shaw Lock, repeating the process.
Becky Law, BCVS’s head of service and staff health and well-being lead, said: “We’d been aware for some years of the great work that the Python volunteers do and had been connecting with them through Green Social Prescribing, but this was the first time that all BCVS staff had had the opportunity to take part in volunteering alongside the Python team.
“Everyone came away feeling elated from the time spent with the wonderful Python volunteers, working in such a beautiful setting and benefiting from a day in the outdoors, soaking up the fresh air and relishing the experience.”
As a result of their hands-on experience on the boat, the BCVS team of social prescribing link workers have been proactively sharing the well-being benefits with patients with whom they are working to encourage them to take up some of the volunteering opportunities with Python and the Chesterfield Canal Trust.
The benefits of volunteering and being outdoors are well documented, and the activities available through the Chesterfield Canal Trust form part of the Green Social Prescribing options available in Bassetlaw and across surrounding areas.
