Clean Up Day - March 25th

Having changed both the date and location of our annual "Spring" Clean Up proved fortuitous - as the weather on the original date was atrocious and arranging a joint clean up with the Newcastle Countryside & Parks ranger also proved to be of mutual benefit.

The preceding week was to say the least not at all promising with very heavy rain and cold temperatures, but as the day dawned it stopped raining and it turn out to be bright sunny, windless and WARM at long last.

Arriving at the rendezvous place at West Walker Primary School - it first it looked that only a few would make it, Doug, John, Lindsay & Phil - a number of Rangers having to cancel at the last minute due to other commitments.

After meeting with Adam Bell from the Newcastle Countryside & Parks Ranger service we decided to make our way to the White Street Bridge where we knew a lot of litter collecting awaited us. His team, of six, would start from Malaya Drive and work towards us.

Doug transported all the tools and equipment needed - by car - to a position just off the cycle route at the White Street Bridge. David now join us - having walked from Howdon !! to be joined shortly afterwards by Carole.

Litter collecting at White Street Bridge

Carole, John & Phil take a breather by the "Chimney Stump" artworks.

Mary and Son with the first collection of the day.

Work commenced and it soon became apparent we would have to divest out outer garments - due to the unusual warm day - a first after a long dismal winter.

Soon after Mary and her son arrived by bike - they had been delayed by a puncture on route due to glass on the track !!

Everyone got stuck in collecting litter, various car parts (from the adjacent scrap yard) and with sweeping the broken glass from the track - bag after bag was filled and piled in a heap ready for the council team with their lorry to come and collect it.

Having tidied up the area between Malaya Drive and White Street Bridge we moved on to Mary's Place - we had been advised by a passing cyclists that lots of metal swarf awaited us. It seems someone had been trunderling a wheelie bin full of metal swarf from Swan Hunters to a scrap yard, got fed up and dumped it all over the pathway. It was several centimeters deep. Lindsay and Doug elected to deal with this and slowly bagged it up for collection - meanwhile the others continued with litter collection - with Phil cleaning up the Milepost with Graffiti Wipes.

Lindsay sweeping up the metal swarf ready for bagging and collection.

Phil cleaning the Mile post

Clean up between Church St. & Pottery Bank

Two ladies from the Hadrian's Wall Trail joined us and once the pathway was cleaned down to Wellbeck Road it was time for lunch - which was provided by Countryside & Parks - this was taken "Al Fresco' in the school grounds, as by this time becoming quite hot !!

Several other Hadrian's Trail Rangers joined for the afternoon session.

Suitable refueled we continued to litter pick this time in the opposite direction towards Potter Bank - with Sustrans Rangers cleaning the "high" National cycle route and Trail rangers cleaning the "low" National walking route.

By the time we called it a day at 3:00 pm we had collected over 50 bags of litter and many items of scrap metal, pipes, and other assorted debris which the council lorry immediately collected to stop the mindless vandals from undoing the good work.

Everyone agreed we had achieved a great deal and made a big improvement along the route.

Report & photos by Doug

If you have any photos of the clean up please e-mail them to me.

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