Volunteers Come Together For Riverside Clean Up
- Part of the River Soar was subject to a clean up to improve the conditions for nature in the area
- Leicester City staff joined young people from Leicester City in the Community’s Premier League Kicks programme
- The stretch of the river has been adopted by Leicester City’s charity to enable them to facilitate trips for people to take notice of their local environment
- Riverside clean up fell during World Environment Day on Wednesday 5 June
The section of the river that overlooks the stadium was subject to a rubbish pick, restoration of fencing, clearing of tow paths, and general education on the wildlife in the area.
As well as Club and Community staff, young people from the Premier League Kicks programme took time away from their half-term schedule to take part in social action.
Alex Evans, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at Leicester City in the Community, commented on the day.
“It has been a good opportunity to get the wider club staff involved,” he said. “It has been lovely to see staff from LCFC Training Ground come down and get stuck in something they believe is important.”
“As part of our Eco Foxes sustainability strategy, we want to make sure that we are taking care of this lovely green and blue space.
“The adoption of the canal has given us more support; we have staff here from Canal & River Trust who have brought their knowledge which they are passing on to the younger generation.”
It's two years since Leicester City in the Community adopted a section of the river from Canal & River Trust, but the partnership continues to flourish.
On the day of the latest coming together, nature was in full bloom with swans nesting with eggs and flowers in full colour, something that LCFC Training Ground Receptionist Rose Dunmore enjoyed, alongside the feel-good-factor of giving back.
“We have come as a team from Operations at LCFC Training Ground for team bonding and to do our bit for the community to give back,” she said.
“It’s has been nice to get some fresh air, go on a nice walk; we picked up more rubbish than we thought – a few bin bags worth!
“It has been nice to see young people getting out and volunteering as well, so there have been many good vibes all round.”
The efforts in the riverside clean up were noted by the EFL’s Environmental Sustainability Officer, Ben Fisher, who added thoughts on people coming together to make a difference.
He added: “Having a green space this close to the stadium and having Leicester City be custodians of it is absolutely fantastic.”
“I have seen groups of really enthusiastic young people getting stuck in, staff from the Club are here and just having a collective of people from across the community and the Club is brilliant.
“You are introducing a whole new audience to something and hopefully it is sparking that passion.
LCitC will work with Canal & River Trust more in the near future to run similar events to further benefit the local habitat, while teaching the importance of looking after our green spaces.
For more on Leicester City in the Community’s Environmental Sustainability strategy, please contact ES Coordinator Alex Evans at alex.evans@lcfc.co.uk.