Norden Councillor, Peter Winkler has again taken part in the Great British Spring Clean, but his efforts this year have made something of a splash after he entered the Naden Brook in Norden to clean the waterway and its banks.
With assistance from his family and new Community Green Volunteers, Liz and Alan the team covered the watercourse through the Black Pits Road development and under Shepherd Mill Bridge. Along the way the team removed several large pieces of debris from the brook including a chair, bin lid, discarded cable and metal racking along with several bags of litter and various plastics which had become entangled in the trees and vegetation along the banks.
Moving under the historic Shepherd Mill Bridge, the group were than able to tackle one of the harder to reach areas of the village, but one which was littered with hundreds of discarded cans and bottles. Using extra long litter pickers and ladders volunteers were able to gather several bags which were then hoisted up to the bridge above by the rest of the team.
Councillor Winkler said: “This year I was contacted by the Keep Britain Tidy group to champion the Great British Spring clean and promote their Big Bag Challenge, so I was delighted to see people out in all areas - not just in Norden, but right across the borough.”
“My regular litter picking takes in different areas but Naden Brook and the area under Shepherd Mill Bridge are particularly hard to tackle and spots about which I have been contacted by several residents. This was a great opportunity to get my waders and safety gear on and do a special clean-up. Our waterways are such a vital part of the local ecosystem and it’s good to see the brook now clear of visible pollutants and harmful debris.”
“Our New Community Green Volunteers, Liz and Alan made a fantastic contribution, and I am looking forward to getting out with them and others again soon. I am litter picking throughout the year so if anyone would like to get involved, please just get in touch and we would love to have you join us too.”
Research has shown that water based clean-up events such as these can add exponentially to regular litter picking efforts. Things like crisp packets, plastic bottles, and even tyres often make their way into our waterways. No matter how the litter gets there, it’s really important to remove it; physical pollution can have a devastating impact on the ecosystem. A huge proportion of plastic reaching the sea comes from our natural watercourses. By cleaning up plastic at its source in freshwater habitats, we can prevent it from ever reaching the ocean!
All litter collected over the weekend has been collected by Rochdale Borough Council and disposed of via the Environmental Management team, thank you to them for their support.
