Ukraine refugees enjoy a trip on Birmingham Canals

The Lapal Canal Trust arranged two canal trips on the Worcester Birmingham canal for 70 Ukrainian adults and children refugees with their hosts living in Birmingham.

They enjoyed the calming effect of canals and appreciated a glorious autumn day along the remarkably beautiful stretch of canal from Gas Street basin to the newly completed Whitehouse Wharf in Selly Oak.

The guests came from many Ukrainian towns including Kiev, Kharkov and Zaporizhzhia which have recently been in the news.

The funding for the trips was provided by the National Lottery Community Fund who agreed to fund a pilot scheme to provide boat trips for the elderly, people with disabilities, school children and minority groups that would benefit from the companionship, calmness and education of a canal experience.

The trust is half way through the programme with over 20 boat trips provided for the community.

The destination was Whitehouse Wharf in Selly Oak. It had a £400,000 development recently completed as a first part of the restoration of the Dudley No 2 Canal from Selly Oak to Halesowen.