A brand-new charity, The Oakham Canal Green Corridor Project, has been set up by a team of determined volunteers to protect and improve the environment around the old Oakham Canal.

The Oakham Canal was first opened in 1797, but closed just 50 years later after being sold to the Midland Railway Company. Winding through the Rutland countryside to join the Melton Mowbray Navigation, the original course of the canal is still highly visible today, with many sections remaining in water.

Project manager Paul Dadford said: "The Oakham Canal is a vital part of our local heritage, and provides a number of diverse habitats in a very small area."

"Lots of people use the area but have had to watch much of it deteriorate through neglect and a lack of coordinated action to maintain it. Our friends at the Oakham Angling Society have worked hard to look after one small section, but much more needs to be done. Establishing a new 2.5-mile Green Corridor will be a positive move for wildlife, local people and visitors alike."

The charity aims to upgrade footpaths, provide better access and manage the environment to improve wildlife habitats and water quality. Local environmental consultancy Ecology Resources are already on board, providing wildlife monitoring and site surveys.

Paul said: "There has never been more need for open, green community spaces. The canal is a place for people to safely meet and walk and spend time together, promoting health and wellbeing – a much-needed resource in these times of Covid-19."

The canal originally began in the heart of Oakham. The former canal basin now forms part of the grounds of Oakham School – and pupils have already shown their support by designing the charity's logo and putting together marketing and fundraising plans.

Although there is no public access to the school, the canal route can be picked up from the nearby Springfield Estate, and followed as far as Oakham Enterprise Park. This route will be the focus of the new Green Corridor.

Paul added: "We are working with local landowners and Rutland County Council to see if we can formalise some of the unofficial routes that have developed over many years, and we are also looking at how we can actively manage the environment in various sections.

"This has such great potential for the people of Rutland – a wildlife corridor around one of our most beautiful and important heritage assets. We will be starting work parties as soon as it is safe to do so, and this will be a real community project, involving as many people as possible in bringing this stunning natural resource back to life. We can't wait to get started."