Portchester volunteers haul a tyre, cones and more from Paulsgrove Lake

Almost a dozen people flocked to Castle Shore in Portchester to clear away junk that has been dumped in Paulsgrove Lake.

All kinds of rubbish was removed – much of it having been there for many years.

The volunteers hope to bring about permanent change in Portchester, with people having more pride in the place they live.

One volutneer, Adam Wells, said: ‘We’re supporting the Litter Ladies That Lunch group by doing our bit for the Portchester community.

‘A lot of the rubbish in Paulsgrove Lake is an accumulation of decades of carelessness, with cans, bottles, tyres and more.

‘All of this waste was collected in just the first hour – it goes to show just how bad the situation is here.’

Litter Ladies That Lunch was founded by five women in Portchester, who are working to make the area 100 per cent plastic-free.

The men down at the shoreline today want to do their bit too, taking on some of the ‘heavy lifting’ in the thick sludge.

In January, the group also found six supermarket trollies that had been dumped in the lake, and are concerned for the environmental future.

Adam said: ‘When we were kids, we would come down to the lake and go swimming – we want our children to have the same opportunities.

‘Our worry is that the younger generation will become normalised to seeing rubbish in the lake, and to seeing people just walk on by instead of helping out.’

By becoming a larger presence in the community, the volunteers hope that more people will take up the fight against litter in Portchester.

‘We all have to live here, so let’s take care of where we live,’ Adam added.

‘Plenty of people might think they don’t have a part to play, but every gesture goes a long way.

‘All we want is to make Portchester a cleaner place.’

The group is looking for gloves, pickers and funding from businesses and community grants to push them further forward in their quest.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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