Community comes together to clean up Wellingborough's Embankment

Volunteers took to the water as well as staying on dry land for a clean up of Wellingborough's Embankment.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Sep 2018, 06:00 BST
Volunteers at Saturday's clean-up eventVolunteers at Saturday's clean-up event
Volunteers at Saturday's clean-up event

The Heritage Lottery funded Nenescape Landscape Partnership Scheme teamed up with canoe hire company Canoe2, paddleboard business River Spirit SUP, the Friends of the River Nene, the Nene Valley Catchment Partnership and Wellingborough Council to co-ordinate Saturday’s community litter pick.

Meeting at the Upper Wellingborough Lock, those on land and those in the water worked their way towards the Lower Lock, picking up rubbish and clearing overgrown vegetation.

The clean-up eventThe clean-up event
The clean-up event
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About 30 people took part in the event, including a group of six from Wellingborough Sea Cadets, 15 from Friends of the River Nene, three people from Nenescape and two from SecureSeal Systems.

Their efforts saw seven trolleys from supermarkets or garden centres, one bicycle, one traffic cone and one coconut pulled out of the water.

They also found three large freshwater mussels in one of the trolleys, and collected about 40 bags of rubbish as well as filling 10 wheelie bins full of vegetation they had cut back.

A number of Wellingborough councillors took part in the event, including Cllr Clive Hallam who said: “I am delighted that so many volunteers from across Wellingborough turned out to help with the litter pick of the Embankment.

The clean-up took place on land as well as in the waterThe clean-up took place on land as well as in the water
The clean-up took place on land as well as in the water
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“I would like to remind all residents to responsibly dispose of their rubbish in the many bins provided across the town, and do their bit to help keep our green spaces litter-free for everyone to enjoy.”

Lunch was provided by the Friends of the River Nene, Nenescape and the Heritage Lottery Fund, and bin bags and some litter grabbers were provided by Wellingborough Norse in partnership with Wellingborough Council.

Speaking ahead of the event, council leader Martin Griffiths said: “We hope that this will inspire people across the borough to be more responsible when disposing of rubbish, and not litter our wonderful town.”

The idea for a litter pick along this stretch of the River Nene started from conversations among a working group who came together to create a vision for the waterside at Wellingborough.

Facilitated by River Nene Regional Park, the Wellingborough Waterside Working Group has the aim of improving facilities for people and enriching conditions for nature at the waterside.

Related topics:WellingboroughCommunity