Riverside volunteer, Megan Duggan, helped clean up the River Soar as part of the preparation for the Leicester Riverside Festival. 

Eighteen volunteers from Riverside’s Leicester office and local contractor Novus, gathered at Leicester rowing club to participate in a River Soar clean-up organised by Rupa Chandarana and Megan Duggan.

Riverside volunteer Megan Duggan found the experience really rewarding:

“The group was divided into four teams: three of which went into boats, whilst the remaining team covered the river bank.”

“My team took one of the boats down the bank and hopped off next to a public walkway where we found a huge amount of rubbish and waste. We were shocked at how much rubbish had been thrown into the river, but equally pleased that we were able to retrieve a great deal of it.”

“Several bin bags later, we travelled under the low bridges, where we had to crouch to avoid getting hit. Once we were through, we found an even greater mass of litter behind the bridges! There were cans, bottles, shoes and socks, a helmet, a child’s toy and even a syringe! Undeterred, my team conquered the mountain of litter, restoring the bank to its natural beauty.”

“The local river ranger was extremely impressed and noted the colossal difference that our efforts had achieved. As such, the experience was very rewarding and had a positive impact on the environment. A great example of what a difference volunteers can make by working together towards a common objective.”

Riverside is proud of the volunteer work undertaken by staff and tenants across the country.  By sharing stories about the positive impacts of volunteering, we can highlight how it can help make people more confident, employable and happy.