Staff at Red Funnel have been helping to keep the Isle of Wight spick and span by picking litter along the River Medina.
A team of 18 volunteers, made up of Red Funnel staff and their families, cleaned along the riverbank for a mile from the Folly Inn near East Cowes to the Island Harbour Marina.
The clean-up operation was organised by Red Funnel as part of its drive to keep coastlines clear from rubbish, safe for wildlife and looking good for the 2.4million tourists who visit the island and boost the economy every year.
Shirley Anderson, HR director at the firm, said:
“It was fantastic to see people turning up to help with the clean-up. Everyone put in so much effort; even our youngest volunteer who was only three! It was incredible to see how much of a difference it made to this part of the island.”
The volunteers managed to collect around 20 bags of litter, which, as well as the usual cans and bottles, included stranger items like flowerpots and 10m of blue plastic piping.
Shirley added: “This is something we’d like to grow next year, so we’ll be looking for more volunteers, including customers, to cover a larger area. We’ve seen what can be achieved when people pull together, and we know we can make a huge impact to the natural areas on the island.”
Red Funnel is aiming to hold the next clean-up in spring, to get the island ready for another busy tourist season.
