Friends of the Tame Valley – the community group looking after the area – had another productive volunteering day last weekend.

The group of volunteers were out Balsam bashing, removing debris from the river, tidied up woodland and litter-picked around Jet Amber Fields on Sunday (22 August).

The group was joined by the Mersey Rivers Trust, a charity that works in partnership with those interested in improving local rivers and waterways. 

There was a great turnout for the event, and amongst the volunteers tidying up the area were Denton North East Councillor Allison Gwynne, and Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne, who is Secretary of the group.   

Commenting on the success of the event, FoTV committee member Chris Clarke said: “It was great to have such a good turnout, around 20 volunteers turned up from the local community to help out and improve their environment. A lot of work was completed and the volunteers should be commended for their efforts."

Adding to Chris' comments, fellow committee member Rob Hardman said: "Another great turnout with FoTV members working alongside the Mersey Rivers Trust to remove another massive amount of Balsam and rubbish from the river.

"Between us we have managed to open up a section of the riverbank that was previously inaccessible.A huge thank you to all involved and keep up the good work." 

Warren Andrew, project manager at the Mersey Rivers Trust, commented: "It’s fantastic to see the local community working together under the banner of the Friends of the Tame Valley and joining up with the Mersey Rivers Trust for the benefit of people, wildlife and the environment. 

"The local community should be proud of what this group has achieved in such a short space of time."

The group is now urging those interested in improving their local area to keep their eyes peeled for upcoming volunteering events, and to contact ajgwynne@sky.com if they are interested in joining FoTV.

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