Litter pick hits new heights for Shropshire climbers
Beauty spots all over Shropshire are kept looking spick and span with the help of litter pickers . . . but some have to have a head for heights.
While most paths and trails can be kept clear with the use of brooms and rubber gloves, others need a somewhat more specialist approach.
Llanymynech Rocks, near Oswestry, has become a popular destination for climbers – but this has led to a litter problem on the ledges and crannies of the former limestone quarry's towering rock face.
So staff from Cotswold Outdoor, in Shrewsbury, brought along their climbing kit in order to get to the heart of the problem – filling two black bags with rubbish. The clean-up was organised by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, which looks after the area.
Stuart Edmunds, from SWT, said: "The sheer rock faces at Llanymynech have now become popular with rock climbers from all over the country and unfortunately a minority of climbers have been leaving their litter hidden on many of the ledges as they have ascended the cliffs.
"The litter is often unseen by walkers below but poses a hazard to local wildlife, such as nesting birds and small mammals living in and around the rocks.
"Andy Sale and Mark Buchinger, from Cotswold Outdoor, volunteered to harness up and make their way from ledge to ledge to collect beer cans, glass bottles and other litter. Together, they filled two bin liners.
"This will hopefully encourage other climbers to keep the rocks tidy and also to ensure they are safe for other users to continue climbing."
Mr Sale, supervisor at Cotswold Outdoor, said: "A couple of the guys here are regular climbers and we started climbing at Llanymynech. We noticed that there was a lot of litter around and we decided we'd go and have a bit of a clear-up.
"There were plastic bottles and lots of glass bottles. It looked like most of it wasn't from climbers but could have been thrown over the edge from the golf course above.
"Somewhere like Llanymynech has a lot of nesting birds so it's helping the wildlife as well as keeping the area clean for people." Mr Sale said last Tuesday's clear-up had been so successful he and his colleagues hope to encourage more people to do litter picks at climbing spots. "We're hoping we can encourage people in other shops in our chain across the country to do the same."
