COMMUNITY-spirited members of Rugby Canoe Club gave up their Sunday to clear litter – and some more unusual items – from waterways in Rugby.
A team of 20 club members collected 14 bags of litter from the Oxford Canal and River Avon at Brownsover, as part of British Canoeing’s Big Paddle Clean Up Week.
The paddlers headed along the canal and river from the Brownsover Picnic Site in a variety of craft, from open canoes to stand up paddleboards, to remove as much litter as they could before it traveled downstream.
They removed the usual suspects including plastic water bottles, drinks cans and fast food packaging – along with some less typical items including a bike and a tent.
Club coach Brian White said: “It is really important to stop plastics and other junk journeying along our rivers, causing untold damage. The plastic does not biodegrade, instead it breaks down into smaller pieces which stay in our environment forever and at this stage it becomes impossible to remove.
“It was great to see members support this event and play their part in keeping our waterways clean, so we can all enjoy this environment for years to come.”
Chantelle Grundy, Access and Environment Officer at British Canoeing, said: “The paddle cleanup highlights the amazing work paddlers do on a regular basis to deal to help with this environmental crisis and support our vision for fair, shared and sustainable open access on
water, and our commitment to protecting the environment.”
Visit www.rugbycanoeclub.org.uk for more information on Rugby Canoe Club.
