Youth-Led Canal-Side Transformation at Tinsley Marina, Sheffield

In early 2019, Urban Wilderness CIC worked with the Canal & River Trust and Endeavour Education Centre to lead a transformative project at Tinsley Marina in Sheffield. Together, we invited young people who were outside mainstream education to co-create a welcoming social space by the canalside — one they felt safe to visit, share with friends and bring into family life.

The young people developed creative ideas, shaped the space and helped us install benches, artwork and signage that celebrated inclusion, diversity and landscape. Many participants had physical disabilities, mental-health or behavioural challenges, or were new arrivals to the UK — the project created a supportive environment where everyone could feel able to learn, take risks and make something meaningful.

By creating visible change at the marina, the project aimed to shift perceptions of the place — from somewhere overlooked or unsafe, to somewhere owned by local people, visible and valued. The transformation created both tangible fixtures (seating, artwork) and intangible change: young people felt capable, connected and proud; local families had new reasons to visit; the Trust and partners gained stronger relationships in the area.