We had a tremendous turn out tonight for our litter pick along the River Colne for Keep Britain Tidy and RiverCare. Fourteen energetic GoodGymers armed themselves with pickers and sacks to tidy a beautiful area used by walkers, runners, cyclists and nature lovers. It's good to help maintain a clean and safe outdoor space, especially so close to play and leisure amenities and the popular Castle Park. We split into two groups, with one covering the Kings Meadow and Middle Mill area, and the other taking the route East along Riverside. The rain eased off and nature showed us its best with rich green river plants, elegant swans and cygnets, bindweed, poppies, ducklings and a nosy herring gull. Speculative rats ran along the lake's edge and we even celebrated their place in the world! We filled a good number of sacks, all weighed down with assorted remnants of people's lives: cans, fast-food packaging, wrappers, party balloons, hair bands, phone cases and plastic, plastic, plastic. Ella got top picker in our team with her mega pizza box! Littering is a great shame, a menace for people and wildlife, and so sad to see. But we plogged along in usual good spirits, putting the world back in shape and our minds back in good form. The groups met back at Leisure World where we compared finds and joked about this being possibly the smelliest litter pick to date. GoodGym Colchester certainly have a nose for rubbish! We safely disposed of the sacks in the large Council bins behind the Leisure Centre. We were thrilled to welcome Detti to our group tonight. We also commend Katherine on her 49th good deed and Rosalind who has now reached her 10th task - significant milestones.
With GoodGym Colchester's 4th birthday on the horizon and an upcoming social as well, I think we're doing pretty well at keeping active and connected during these worrying and changeable times. Well done everyone!