Volunteers at the Rochdale riverside clean up

Rochdale residents joined forces on Saturday 11 March as part of a community action day to clean up the riverside and reduce flood risk.

Organised and led by Liz Atherton from Faiths4Change, the team of 22 volunteers filled a truck with the amount of litter they cleared from the riverbanks and were rewarded with a curry lunch and games for the children who helped.

Sarah Parkington, Community Flood Resilience Project Officer for the National Flood Forum in Rochdale said: “It was a great team effort and a really important, yet simple, way of reducing flood risk.  The build-up of rubbish along the riverbank and in the river means blockages can impede the flow of water and increase the risk of flooding.  The clean-up left the riverside in a much better state.”

The successful event was organised by local community leaders in partnership with the National Flood Forum, Environment Agency, Rochdale Council of Mosques, Rochdale Environmental Action Group, Faiths4Change and CommuniTea CIC.