Historic Newark in Bloom in partnership with the Trent Link group hold community litter pick on River Trent in Newark

Volunteers turned out in the pouring rain to help clean up Newark’s riverside over the weekend.

A community litter pick was held on Saturday (October 19) by Historic Newark in Bloom in partnership with the Trent Link group in a bid to tidy up the town’s riverscape and make Newark a more attractive place to visit.

Volunteers spent hours litter picking along the river, as well as removing weeds and replanting planters with spring bulbs including snowdrops and crocuses to brighten up the area, starting at Newark Lock, near the Swan and Salmon pub, and working their way along the banks of the River Trent and finishing near Northgate Retail Park.

More than a dozen people took time out of their day to lend a helping hands and successfully collected several bag-fulls of litter and weeds.

One such volunteer was 13-year-old Logan Duffey, who was taking part in the litter pick as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award.

The group’s efforts are all part of Historic Newark in Bloom’s bid to achieve Gold in next year’s East Midlands in Bloom competition, after achieving Silver this year.

Chairman Jenni Oliver said: “We want to get our river looking its best, every stretch along the River Thames is an attraction, and we want our River Trent to be the same.

The group extended their thanks to the Swan and Salmon pub, which provided refreshments to the volunteers.

Another litter pick is being planned for early November.