Canoe club cleans up town centre river

MEMBERS of the Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club (WYCC), which is based in Melksham, have cleared rubbish from a section of the River Avon in the town centre.  

In support of British’s Canoeing’s ‘The Big Paddle Clean Up’, WYCC members and their parents took to their canoes collecting rubbish between the weir near the town centre bridge, down to the Conigre Mead nature reserve. 

The club reports, “The youngest member of the WYCC river clean up team was just 8 years old. This group may be young, but they are passionate about the health of our river here in Melksham! 

“The WYCC river clean up team, in a fantastic effort over a few hours, retrieved from the river eight large sacks full of litter and larger items, including: a bicycle wheel, traffic cones, a plastic chair, a shopping basket from Leeke’s store, a recycling box lid, a lid from a compost bin, multiple footballs, a large number of plastic and glass bottles, and plastic toys. Unfortunately, the shopping trolleys proved too large and embedded to retrieve on this trip. 

“From the river bank, parents also supported the clean-up and returned a shopping basket back to a supermarket. 

“The WYCC river clean team had to struggle to gain access to the river through town due to the missing landing stand which used to be there. But their efforts to get their boats to the river and launch them were well rewarded with the sheer amount of rubbish in this area of the river. 

“The river flowing through the centre of Melksham was important to the history of the town, but is also now an important ‘green/blue space’ in the heart of the town, which provides recreation to the community and helps with people’s wellbeing, as it’s such a calm and tranquil area with an abundance of wildlife. Let’s all do our bit to support, protect and allow our rivers to thrive. 

“The Big Paddle Clean Up supports British Canoeing’s ongoing ‘Clear Access Clean Waters’ campaign, which aims for fair, shared and sustainable open access on water for all. Its aim is to not only seek greater public access to water for recreation, but also to secure the protection of our natural environment. 

“How can you support or get involved? Support change for the future by going to the British Canoeing ‘Clean Access Clear Waters’ website and signing the petition: https://clearaccessclearwaters.org.uk/; buy less single use plastic, and when it’s not avoidable, re-use and recycle where possible; ensure that litter is disposed of in a respectful manner and encourage others to do so; support organised community litter picks or doing your own. 

“For more info about Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club (WYCC) please visit the Facebook page. Search using ‘Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club – WYCC’. Currently there is a waiting list for our next beginners’ course, so please express an interest through the Facebook page.”