Peterborough volunteers clear piles of rubbish from Nene Valley Railway

The initiative was started on the Woodston Folk Facebook group, and saw more than 20 volunteers get together on Sunday March 7 to help clear fly-tipping and littering on the track. The rubbish had been gathering for a number of weeks and months and was first highlighted by local resident Shelley Marie Brennan.

Shelley said: “I cycle past there most days to and from work and it seemed to me like it had become a bit of a dumping ground. So I shared some pictures on the Woodston Folk Facebook group and a lot of other residents had the same concerns.”

Shelley’s post on the group attracted a lot of attention and was picked up by local activists Imtiaz Ali and Lisa Forbes who decided that the community should come together to resolve the issue..

Imitaz said: “I noticed a lot of people felt the same way about the rubbish as I did

“We all hoped the council would clear it away, but there was also an appetite to get involved and help if we could. So I put a tentative post on the group to see if there were any volunteers and the response was incredible.

“I then contacted Tracy at NVR to confirm she was happy for us to do come cleaning on the tracks and Tracy was very supportive. It was just a case of agreeing the work and getting the equipment from the council. James Collingridge (Head of Environmental Partnerships) was completely behind us and arranged for the equipment through Aragon.”

The clean up started on Sunday at 11am with shifts of 6-8 people coming together for 45-minute blocks and tackling the huge piles of rubbish that had gathered over time. The work was done carefully, ensuring social-distancing at all times and with plenty of sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes in use at all times.