Highway Grubbery - or, CSI: Hither Green

After some confusion about where to meet, leader Anne-Marie, me and a number of local Hither Green volunteers split into two groups. One would cut back the brambles and litter pick on the Springbank Road embankment, while the other group would head to the other side of the tracks for litter picking there.

As Goodgymmers know, litter picking can reveal a wide range of "goodies". Today's haul in my group included a bundled (and tied) stack of newspapers, a group of sofa cushions, a matched pair of shoes, a bra, and a child's pink scooter... Plus of course the range of bottles, cans and general detritus (the many empty pouches of cat food were unexpected). After running to the mission, it was nice to get some lunges in, as I reached for litter higher up the embankment. Full workout on these events!

After clearing the bulk of our side, we noticed that one corner, blocked off by metal barrier, was also full of rubbish. Anne-Marie asked if I fancied a boost over the barrier - but I quickly realised I wasn't sure how I'd get back! So teamwork... One gent held the rubbish bag while I leant over and reached what I could. Then a few of us headed to the outside of the fence, reaching through the railings and grabbing the rest.

Satisfied we'd got our side finished, we headed back over to the other embankment, discussing random things we've found while litter picking. Anne-Marie's favourite being a pristine top hat!