Whoosh Explore Canoe Club in Hertfordshire were inspired by last years Autumn Beach and River Clean Campaign to make waterways clean-ups a regular thing.
Not only have they since continued them as a club, they have joined forces with other organisations to make the waterways clean ups an even bigger success – introducing more people to paddling, opening up their club to beginners, involving local community groups and demonstrating to their local council how having access to more waterways can be beneficial for the environment as a whole.
Peter Nash, Manager of Whoosh Explore tells us how the club’s work has been a huge success in their local area.
“Several years ago we pulled an otter out of the river that was trapped in a net, and that triggered us to the problem of pollution in our waterways – it showed us we all have to take responsibility.
“We were able to do our first litter pick last year thanks to the Surfers Against Sewage Autumn Campaign. We received a funded litter picking kit which kick started us having the right equipment.” Says Peter, who’s clean up event last autumn saw himself and fellow club members cover 12 kilometres of the River Stort, collecting 24 bags of rubbish!
“We were always conscious of the environment but now we have the correct equipment, we are able to undertake regular clean ups and have put regular plans in place.
“We’ve joined forces with Save Our Stort, a voluntary group who meet regularly to help keep the river clean, and the Canal and River Trust who have been supporting us locally with things like access points.
“As Canal and River Trust were also running clean up events, we ran ours at the same time as them. From this we have got lots of new people into paddling.
“We take a trailer of boats with us and have a range of adults and kids come along. They get a taster in canoeing and litter picking at the same time. It’s a win win, they’re doing a good thing for the environment and we are able to promote our club.
“Together we are winning the battle against reducing the rubbish we get on the river, and it makes for much nicer places to paddle.” Says Peter.
As well as organised larger clean ups, Peter explains how last years campaign has inspired them to take smaller steps on a regular basis to help make a difference to the waterways.
A lot of our paddlers go out with a bag during their sessions in the week. We’ve got a pensioners group who go out every Wednesday who really enjoy it. They love that they are making a difference, and by combining both activities it’s not a chore, it works really well.
– Peter Nash, Whoosh Explore Canoe Club
“As the weather warms up and the season begins we’re expecting more paddlers to come along and get involved. As our clean up events cover a wide stretch of river, not just the immediate area around the club, we have drawn attention in the town centre.
“People want to come along, get involved and give paddling a go at the same time.
“Our next steps are working with the council to get a market stall to promote the litter picks in conjunction with the Save Our Stort campaign. By doing this, it allows us to reach out to the community and show them how to get involved.
“We will once again be taking part in the Surfers Against Sewage campaign this April and will link this with our now regular clean up events, which we will be holding twice a month throughout the year. ” Says Peter.
Feeling inspired? Get involved with the Big Spring Beach Clean: Summit to Sea
Whether you are a club wanting to organise your own clean up, or an individual who wants to join in with an event, you can find all the information you need on how to get involved on our river clean up pages.
