On the second day of the northern pride festival, 7 goodgymers were out litter picking! Before the festival area officially reopened for the second day, we were litter picking in exhibition park to keep the rubbish under control.

We arrived and were given high vis vests, bin bags and litter pickers from the volunteer tent. Andrew had come prepared with a bag full of gardening gloves which he shared out. All kitted up we set off litter picking on the sides of the main path up through exhibition park. We picked up a huge amount of cigarette butts, stickers and small pits of feather boa.

In search of heavy items to fill up and way down our rubbish bags, we all spread out. Andrew and Evan went under the underpass where Andrew had spied lots of rubbish on his way there. They managed 2 and a half bags of litter each and to impressively throw them in the huge skip! Tom and Sam focused the hill and flowers as you walk in; Tom found about £4 in the grass, we could only assume some drunk person had rolled down the hill and lost it. Anji and Paul were on a different mound of grass and were pointed in the direction of a load of bottles by a member of the public so got rid of them. They also stumbled upon a little gin party with many miniature bottles of different gins. I found what looked like the remnants of a party a little further along the path towards the band stand. I found many empty and semi-empty bottles of wine and vodka and can of larger and cider. I managed to spill lager down one leg and vodka down the other, so I left smelling like a brewery! Other interesting discoveries included a wine glass (classy!) and one sock followed by the other 5 minutes later and enough feathers to make a feather boa!

It was Evans 50th good deed so he celebrated by throwing a bin bag in a skip! Well done Evan!