A group of 15 paddlesports enthusiasts turned out on November 24 for what they dubbed ‘Black Bag Friday’ – a mission to clear the riverbanks of debris left behind by October’s Storm Babet.
Together they collected almost a ton of waste between Matlock and Cromford, much of it polythene wrap and netting from hay bales which had washed off the fields around Darley Dale and floated downstream.
Other items recovered including road cones, a high chair, bicycle and even a trombone, all of which were carted away by waste teams from Derbyshire Dales District Council.
Event organiser and Paddle Peak founder Peter Astles said: “It was great to have such a large and experienced team on the river clean today. We made light work of the carnage caused by the floods. Thanks so much for helping out.
“There’s still a lot of bale wrap in the trees above Matlock, we’ll return very soon and get as much as we can removed.“
Paddle Peak is a local community charity and British canoeing club which works to improve access to the water for paddlesports in the Derwent Valley, as well as inspiring and enabling local young people to take up kayaking and to clean and look after the River Derwent and protect its wildlife.
For more information on the group’s work, go to www.paddlepeak.org or www.facebook.com/paddlepeak.
1. Black Bag Friday 2023
The band of volunteers with just some of the rubbish they fished from the Derwent. Photo: Paddle Peak
