Marsh Charitable Trust – Marsh Ambassadorial Volunteer Award with the Canal and River Trust

Marsh Ambassadorial Volunteer Award with the Canal and River Trust

This Award recognises those volunteering with the Canal and River Trust in customer facing roles, engaging with the public and promoting the importance of our canals and waterways.

Nominations for the Award are submitted to the Canal and River Trust and are judged by a panel consisting of Canal and River Trust and MCT representatives.

Pictured: 2016 winner Peter Bruton steering the Swift which delivered the Olympic Torch

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Tom Misselbrook 2018

Tom has been a volunteer with the Canal and River Trust since 2014 and in that time has volunteered for a total of almost 2,000 hours. He is always happy to volunteer when he can and has demonstrated a strong desire to support different areas of volunteering within the waterways. Tom regularly volunteers at the weekend, is supportive of his colleagues and a great Ambassador for the Trust.

Tom has played a key role in the success of The Wanderer Community Workboat project in Worcestershire. He takes the minutes at the Consortium meetings, is the lead contact with the Helpdesk to report any issues and not only helms to boat but has acted as a mentor to the new helms from the community groups. Tom is the Ambassador for Gloucester Docks and has really developed the role, volunteering all throughout the winter whatever the weather. He is constantly interacting with the public, local businesses and the local team from the Trust, all of which he does to an excellent standard. He took part in the pilot work experience week at the Gloucester office, taking students out into the docks to show them what his role as a volunteer involved.

Tom is motivated not only by his love of the canals, but also his desire to promote and support the development of the Trust. He openly enjoys sharing his knowledge and helping others to get the most out of their connection with the Trust.

Previous Winners

Richard Higginbottom

Richard is a Lead Towpath Ranger and also a resident expert on the Regents Canal, with an astounding encyclopaedic knowledge of the waterway. He is famous among staff for wearing his Canal and River Trust bowler hat on the very popular walks he leads from Angel Tube to Camden Market every other Sunday (and on other open days), inspiring both canal enthusiasts and those who are new to canals. He also coordinates pop-up events and Towpath Ranger activities in East London, home to one of the busiest towpaths in the country.

As a Towpath Ranger, Richard is a member of the main delivery team for the ‘Share the Space, Drop your Pace’ campaign in London, which aims to fulfill the Trust’s commitment to the Better Towpaths for Everyone policy – no mean feat in London, where thousands of people use the towpaths every day.

Richard is the area’s longest-serving volunteer Towpath Ranger and was key in developing the role, in particular developing the ‘Share the Space, Drop your Pace’ campaign. He is a constant guide and companion to other Rangers and encourages the hundreds who take part in his walks to get involved too.