The Bridgewater Canal
Bringing engagement, excitement and fun to a treasured waterway.
About the project
The canal has a long and rich heritage, but often this hasn’t been celebrated in modern times. The Bridgewater Way booklet was specifically designed to bring activities along the canal, especially with families and kids in mind. Many local communities sit closely by the canal, and is often an immediate dose of nature and wildlife for its residents. We thought the booklet could be used as an educating tool. As well as a nice addition to the canal’s largest charity event; The Bridgewater Way Walk for The Christie.
History of the Bridgewater Canal
“The Bridgewater Canal is a 39-mile (65km) canal stretching from Runcorn to Leigh in North West England. Constructed over 250 years ago by the Duke of Bridgewater, it is considered to be the first true canal in England. Built at one level, its route followed the contours of the land to avoid the use of locks.
The canal was constructed to transport the Duke of Bridgewater’s coal from his mine at Worsley in Greater Manchester efficiently and cheaply to the rapidly expanding towns and cities nearby. At its peak, over 3 million tonnes of traffic used the Bridgewater Canal. Nowadays, it is a leisure waterway popular with many cruising boaters”.
Source: The Bridgewater Canal website
The Bridgewater Way Walk
The day was a great success for both The Bridgewater Canal and The Christie. Around 450 people took part in a five-mile walk to raise money for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The walk was organised by Peel L&P, and was the biggest event in its 250 year history. In total, it was announced the event raised £47,000.
The booklet was handed out to any who wished to take part while on the walk, which accompanied many other activities such as artist painted tattoos and classic carnival games. A short instagram video highlighting the day can be seen below.
Video reel from the Bridgewater Canal instagram page.
Booklet layout
The main concern when creating the layout, was to bare in mind how the paper would be treated when used with a stencil. Therefore stencil pages were placed in an alternating fashion, to ensure a ‘rubbing’ wouldn’t intrude on another. Other pages were then filled with a puzzle, colouring in activity or interesting facts. The thickness of paper stock was also very important to ensure the stencil would transfer effectively.
Sketches - Layout for the booklet
Reflection
The past few years taught me what it means to be a brand guardian. Many of the jobs I’d been assigned required a deep understanding of each brand under the umbrella of Peel.
The Bridgewater Canal didn’t have the most polished identity, but it did have enough to work with and develop. I felt very protective over the work we contributed towards the canal, as it always carried a strong duty of care and consideration. The canal has been under the stewardship of Peel for many decades, however not much was done to create engagement with the communities that use the waterway on a daily basis. I felt a great deal of satisfaction, witnessing people interact with the canal in a fresh new way.
