Salford has the oldest man-made canal in the world. It’s construction, in 1761, was an extraordinary engineering feat and it had a huge influence in the Industrial Revolution. But, until recently, The Bridgewater Canal was neglected and under-used.

For the last six years Salford City Council has coordinated a lottery-funded programme of improvements. The highlight has been the way in which local people’s passion for the canal has been harnessed for volunteering, events and the re-discovery of the canal’s unique heritage.

Which is where I come in. During lockdown I chatted with some of the volunteers about their experiences and, mostly from photographs, sketched a portrait of each of them getting stuck in.

This 28-page booklet is a legacy to their contribution and their words and pictures enliven the project’s formal evaluation.