BRIDGWATER folk are being invited next month (August, 2018) to sign up to help clear the Bridgwater docks of litter with a community action group in the town.
Rage Against Rubbish organises canal cleaning events and are calling for eco warriors to volunteer to help them collect rubbish in and around the docks on Saturday, August 18.
Damien Vass from Rage Against Rubbish, said: “We have found that the worst place for litter so far along the canal in Bridgwater is the docks area, so we’re planning to focus our next litter pick there. We are always calling for volunteers to come along and give us a helping hand.
“Our litter pick on Saturday, August 18 will be held from 10am until 12.30pm from the YMCA in Bridgwater heading towards the docks. We will paddle and walk towards the docks with our black bags and litter pickers and will collect rubbish from both the waterway and the tow path.
“Purplespoon Café, which is located at YMCA, will be providing a free tea or filter coffee to all volunteers, who attend on the day.
“The West Country Branch of the Inland Waterway Association (IWA) will also be supporting us once again by supplying volunteers and a flat work boat with on-board rubbish, storage containers. They will also be supplying bag rings and bags and will also dispose of the rubbish removed from the canal and towpath. It’s just great to see the community coming together to make the canal and dock area a cleaner and more pleasant place to be.”
The IWA is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country’s 6,500 miles of canals and rivers.
Rage Against Rubbish was formed by Damien, Jason Winter, Dan Perry, his eight-year-old son Riley, all kayakers, who regularly paddle along the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal. They were fed up with seeing vast amounts of rubbish and discarded items in the waterway.
Sarah Johnstone, who works for Porcupine PR in Bridgwater, is the fifth member of the team, who saw the appeal for volunteers on social media and wanted to get involved and now helps with publicity for the group with the support of her employers.
Damien added: “We would love to see more people on the water and the YMCA are kindly offering us their double kayaks and Canadian canoes and life jackets for people to use free of charge. There are a limited number available so if people would like to use one for our next litter pick, please get in touch.”
Volunteers can also bring their own kayaks/canoes but they would need to also have a buoyancy aid and preferably public liability insurance, which is included with the British Canoe Membership.
Damien continued: “We aim to start at 10am sharp so if people wish to collect litter from the tow path, please arrive at 9.45am and for people who are borrowing equipment from the YMCA, please arrive at 9.30am.
“If volunteers could please bring with them gloves and a few bin bags that would be appreciated. Clean Surroundings at Sedgemoor District Council has donated bin bags, bag hoops and litter pickers to our cause but depending on how many volunteers attend we may need a few more litter pickers to go around.
“If you would like to help us with our quest, please contact us on our Facebook page, Twitter page or email rageagainstrubbish@gmail.com. No one is too old or young to join in, but we do ask that all children are supervised by adults.”
The Bridgwater & Taunton canal and docks litter pick will take place on Saturday, August 18 from 10am until 12.30pm from YMCA George Williams Centre on Friarn Avenue in Bridgwater.
For further details about Rage Against Rubbish, please email rageagainstrubbish@gmail.com, follow the company on Twitter at @RageRubbish or log on to www.facebook.com/rageagainstrubbish/.
To find out more about The West Country Branch of the IWA, please visit www.waterways.org.uk/westcountry/west_country.
