Volunteers to clear pond as part of the Great British Spring Clean

The five groups will be bolstered further by other volunteers from Gateshead. They will do their stuff at 1pm on Saturday, June 12 at Pelaw Quarry Pond, which lies on the Gateshead-Hebburn border and provides a home to lots of wonderful wildlife.

The volunteers are of all ages and will come together to form an umbrella group, the North East Litter Picking group.

The South Tyneside teams are the Jarrow and Hebburn Litterpick Group, Wardley Wombles Litter Busters, Hebburn Carr Ellison Park Group, Pelaw Quarry Pond Litter Pick Group and Riverside Litter Bugz which is a team made up of children.

The event follows on from the success of the Captain Tom 100 Challenge on May 5, which smashed its target of collecting 100 bags of rubbish in honour of Captain Tom Moore at three different spots in Jarrow and Hebburn.

Saturday's event is part of a much larger, national campaign, the Great British Spring Clean, which runs until June 13. The event is organised by the Keep Britain Tidy organisation.

There is no particular problem at Pelaw Quarry Pond. However, the volunteers are determined to keep it that way.

One of the organisers is Shirley Gardiner of the Hebburn Carr Ellison Park Group, who is delighted to see South Tyneside and Gateshead coming together to do something positive.

Shirley said: “The Pelaw Quarry Pond Conservation Group is dedicated to preserving the wildlife, habitats and ecosystems of the pond and its surrounding area, working alongside both Gateshead Council and South Tyneside Council.

"Through high visibility engagement, we will also help the community understand the biological diversity of the area and when opportunities arise, speak with visitors to raise their awareness of how they can become involved.

"Everyone in this group is passionate about the groups aims and are willing to set aside some spare time to help.”

The litter pick will be carried out within Covid regulations and there will be a picnic when all the hard work is done.

The pond is found opposite the car wash on Mill Lane in Hebburn. For more information visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.