The Desmond Family Canoe Trail funded a 3 year programme to encourage communities to have fun paddling and looking after their local waterways and one of the legacies of this project is the Bootle Canoe Club - now a Community Interest Company (CIC) run by and for local people! The club meets regularly, usually on a Saturday morning on the 'Piazza Santa Maria' outside the Lock & Quay Community Pub which sits on the beautiful Leeds-Liverpool canal. SAFE Regeneration is the charity which owns and manages the Lock & Quay and we have worked with the Canal & River Trust for many years to improve our stretch of the canal - which we formally adopted in 2018 - and encourage local people to engage positively with the space and love and care for it. Our paddle sessions often include a litter pick in and out of the water, which always somehow becomes a competition! We also organise larger scale clean up events, working with our community partners on canal clean-up days - even planting and creating artworks along the towpath!Our sessions are FREE and for anyone, whether a seasoned paddler or a total beginner. Children under 16 must be enrolled by an adult and under 8s must be accompanied in a boat by an adult. We often 'raft' 2 boats together so that everyone feels safe and secure and all safety equipment is provided, with qualified instructors always present to support the sessions. We have lots of plans for fun events - awaydays to other areas to paddle, as well as the ever-popular Santa Splash!