The Cotswold Canals Trust is appealing for volunteers to help them continue to run trips on a historic canal.

The trust has two boats – Perseverance on the stretch between Stroud and Stonehouse, and Endeavour at Saul Junction which takes passengers along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.

Rob Burgon, trip boat operations manager for the Trust, said the popularity of the trips means that demand is outstripping supply.

“The trips help people ‘take ownership’ of the canal, and bring them closer to it.

“We will need more crew for what we do now with our boats and we want to be in a position to take on new crew.

“We have 29 volunteers now and we are looking for more,” he said.

So far the Trust has restored more than four miles of the Stroudwater canal between Stonehouse and Stroud.

The development of the canal is at a key stage – Stroud District Council has successfully bid for £842,000 of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) development money to prepare to bid for £9million more from HLF.

If successful, it would mean a £23.4million restoration of the canal from Stonehouse to Saul Junction could go ahead, linking Stroud and Stonehouse to 2,500 miles of the nation’s inland waterway network.

Volunteers need Royal Yachting Association certification and an Inland Waterways Association certificate of boat management – these are paid for by the canal trust.

Rob added: “The canal project doesn’t just need boat crew. We have hundreds of tasks for unskilled and skilled volunteers.”

To find out more about the role, call Rob Burgon on 07860 329477 and to sign up visit cct.teamconnect.org.uk