Television presenter Ranvir Singh has helped volunteers at a historic canal in the wake of devastating floods across the country.
The Good Morning Britain anchor, who currently hosts ITV quiz show Riddiculous, was pictured with a spade next to the Regent’s Canal.
The 200-year-old canal passes through Camden next to Regent’s Park, as well as Islington and Hackney.
Singh was out by the canal as part of a nationwide appeal for volunteers by the Canal and River Trust, a charity that cares for waterways in England and Wales.
It comes in the weeks after heavy rain overwhelmed the nearby River Lee Navigation canal in Hackney Wick, with the flooding causing damage to businesses in the area.
Around 50 people had to be evacuated by firefighters after around 10 acres of land were submerged by water.
Most homes in the area were left untouched as water did not reached the first floor level of the blocks of flats that border the canal – but flooding damaged thousands of homes across the country.
Singh said: “Although there has been a remarkable growth in canal volunteering over the past decade, the ever more extreme weather events brought about by climate change illustrate the fragility of our national collection of canals and the much-loved wildlife that they are home to.”
The Canal and River Trust is now looking for volunteers to help carry out basic canal maintenance and wildlife improvements, lock-keeping, and education programmes, as well as to operate swing bridges.
Christine Mellor, head of volunteering at the charity, said: “Volunteering has gone from strength to strength over the past decade, with our dedicated volunteers working alongside our teams of experts, expanding the impact of the work we are able to carry out.
“With volunteers’ support, donating their time, knowledge, and skills, we are better able to keep our canals available for nature and wildlife and for communities to benefit from.
“The ageing canal network, coupled with the challenges of extreme weather events and recently announced future cuts in government funding, demands our call out for all hands on deck and, if you are interested and thinking of joining us, our message is ‘your canal needs you’.”
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