Volunteers help keep Chelmsford's rivers clean

On Saturday 8 June, local residents and community groups volunteered their time to help clean up Chelmsford's rivers and the surrounding areas.

The Chelmsford district is home to five rivers. Two of them, the Chelmer and the Can are iconic landmarks of our city centre, and it’s important to keep them clean.

Over 100 volunteers united at the event organised by Love Your Chelmsford with the shared goal of removing foreign items from our waterways, whilst also having some fun and getting their steps in!

United team effort

Enthusiastic volunteers from Chelmsford Canoe Club, SUPsect Paddleboarders and Chelmsford Scuba Diving Club took to the water to remove items from the riverbed. While local volunteers, including many from Chelmsford Litter Wombles, travelled on foot sporting fetching yellow jackets to pick their way through the litter on land.

They retrieved all sorts of rubbish from the water and surrounding areas: from batteries to beverage cans, a clothes dryer, traffic cones, a chair, shopping trolleys, bedding and even the unexpected find of a car engine. Cans, plastics and glass were separated for recycling.

Volunteers were thanked for their generous efforts with refreshments from BB’s Coffee and Muffin Cafe located in the Meadows shopping centre adjacent to the River Can. 

The city council is incredibly grateful for all the volunteers that not only gave their time for the river clean event, but to the many that continuously collect litter across Chelmsford throughout the year. They make a fantastic difference to keeping our city tidy.

You can find out how to learn more and get involved in future Love Your Chelmsford activities.