A RIVER-MAD paddle boarding club has teamed up with Avon Navigation Trust to help keep its stretch clear of plastic and other litter.
Bonkers Activities’ members have already hauled out a heap of carelessly cast off rubbish, including plastic bottles, cans and a bike.
The club, based at the Pershore Riverside Centre, will continue the year-round litter pick from the town’s lock up to the weir at Wyre Piddle, where the Trust (ANT) is based.
“We’re delighted to welcome the club on board to help us to protect our river and the environment,” said the charity’s chief executive Clive Matthews.
“The ANT team clears litter as it maintains the river, but it’s easier for paddle boarders to access harder to reach areas, such as shallows, where rubbish can get trapped.”
The club was inspired to join the front line in the war against waste by a Canal and River Trust initiative to sign up paddle boarding clubs, and other community groups, to formally adopt parts of the waterways it looks after.
The Vale paddle boarders, who meet every Sunday throughout the year, were eager to get stuck in.
“We love being on the river, and we want to make sure everyone else can enjoy it too,” said Bonkers owner Kim Bonk.
“The River Avon is beautiful but, even on one of the cleanest rivers in the UK, it is surprising how much we pick up on our regular litter picks.”
