What might you see on a gentle stroll down the riverbank at Oldbury-on-Severn ? Various kinds of bird-life; boats sailing past; walkers enjoying a constitutional along the Severn path ? Of course.

But on Saturday afternoon you would also have seen the villagers of Oldbury, accompanied by staff from Oldbury Power Station and members of Thornbury Sailing Club, down in the long grass and the reeds retrieving months’ worth of rubbish that had found its way there from the river.

The Riverbank Cleanup, organised by George Monck and Janet Astle, founders of the newly-formed Oldbury Clean Team group of volunteers, was the first time that these various groups had got together in an effort to remove a whole host of unsightly items from what should be one of the most attractive scenes in South Gloucestershire.

George takes up the story : “It was as I was walking down the riverbank earlier this year that I thought – we MUST do something about this. The rubbish that had collected there was simply unbelievable – a deep freeze, various plastic and metal drums, the front end of a canoe, countless pallets. So Janet and I got together and, with the help of the Parish Council and a generous grant from Oldbury Power Station, we have set up Oldbury Clean Team, a group of volunteers who will meet now and then to keep Oldbury tidy.”

Janet Astle added : “It was incredible what we achieved on Saturday. 66 people turned up and we collected an amazing 51 sacks of rubbish and piles of larger items such as pallets, car wheels and drums. Who would have thought that so much stuff would have been washed in off the river ? It really was a great effort by the team”.

Kathryn James, Environmental Engineer at Oldbury Power Station, commented : "We are delighted to be able to support this event. Our site constantly strives to improve the local environment and this is a good opportunity for staff and the community to work together."