Life in Salford 34 • August 2021 15
Bridgewater Canal welcomes paddle boarders Stand-up paddle boarding has arrived on the Bridgewater Canal for the first time in its 260-year history. A survey highlighted public interest in extending use of the canal beyond canoes and kayaks, so Peel L&P’s Bridgewater Canal Company has worked with British Canoeing to make the waterway an approved location for stand-up paddle boarding. Anyone wishing to use a stand-up paddle board (SUP) on the Bridgewater Canal must be a member of British Canoeing. The Bridgewater Canal Company recommends that paddle boarders wear high visibility clothing and a life buoyancy jacket or personal floatation aid.
The Bridgewater Canal was built in 1761 by the Duke of Bridgewater to take coal from his mines at Worsley to new markets in Manchester. For more details please visit www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk Join or renew your membership with British Canoeing by visiting www. britishcanoeing.org.uk and see their wealth of information on stand-up paddle boarding through the Go Paddling website https://gopaddling.info/ Stand up paddle boarding sessions are available everyday at Salford Watersports Centre. Visit https://salfordwatersports.com for details.
Salford first to try sports app for disabled people Salford Community Leisure (SCL) has become the first UK leisure operator to use a new app to help people with disabilities enjoy the gym and leisure venues. WelcoMe free to download app allows people to alert venues at least two hours before their arrival to any special requirements or assistance needed so staff can support them. SCL manages eight gyms, six swimming pools and a water sports centre and members will be able to build their own profile with details of their specific needs. The app is available to use at Irlam and Cadishead now and will be rolled out to Eccles, Swinton and Pendlebury and Worsley leisure centres and Salford Watersports Centre. Garry Bateman, Head of Sport at Salford Community Leisure, said: “We are proud to pilot the app. We’ve done a lot of work to ensure that our staff are fully trained and capable of looking after any user with special needs and the new app is the perfect addition to this. “It builds the confidence of both the customer and our staff in ensuring that the visit is the very best experience it can be.”
SCL already works with Unlimited Potential’s local Empower You scheme to assist local disabled gym users. Please visit www.unlimitedpotential.org.uk/enterprise/innovationprojects/empower-you for more information. Ben Andrews of Empower You and Sami Habib at Irlam and Cadishead Leisure Centre, which has adopted a new app to take the stress out visiitng pools and gyms for disabled people.
