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RiverCare Grantham writes about first litterpick of 2025




It was inevitable really and here it is - a new year, all fresh and just waiting for us to grapple with, writes Ian Simmons and David Martin, co-leads of Grantham RiverCare.

Lots to mention as we look forward to the coming months. We have already been out for a New Year litter pick with over twenty volunteers keen to get off the sofa and do something constructive for a couple of hours. We collected ten bags of rubbish which included firework remains, vapes, two more shopping trollies and space hopper - really!

Hot drinks and mince pies were the order of the day as temperatures plummeted. We venture out again on February 22. If you want to join, please find us on Facebook.

Grantham RiverCare co-leaders David Martin (left) and Ian Simmons
Grantham RiverCare co-leaders David Martin (left) and Ian Simmons

This year’s Keep Britain Tidy campaign kicks off in February with the slogan ‘Love where you live’. A fine sentiment that we can all agree with. Posters are now appearing around the country in an attempt to prick the conscience of the population.

With this in mind, we have been seduced by a ‘vlog’ on YouTube made by an Irish guy called Brian, currently living and working in rural France. What is the point in raising this I hear you ask? Well, as Brian goes about his business in the small French towns he lives near, we are amazed by the lack of litter on the streets. Why can’t we be a bit more like that?

To this end, a few of us have really got the bug and venture out between our organised picks. Once you get an eye in, you will see litter everywhere. One of our numbers has been up to the new slip road onto the (under construction) A52 Southern Relief Road. In just two hours he collected eleven bags of rubbish! We will need to check back to see how this potential grot spot develops.

On a sad note, we have to record the passing of our founder, John Knowles. An initiative that started with a mattress stuck on the Harrowby weir became an active part of Grantham Civic Society. Our regular reader will recall that we recently celebrated twenty active years and now operate under the wing of Keep Britain Tidy.

John led our group until recently when he handed it to David and I. He was also chair of the Wyndham Park Forum, supporting investment and development of many of the park’s popular features, most notably the sensory garden. He regularly helped maintain this until quite recently. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.



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