Towpath Tidy Comes To Aire

If dangerous sports are your bag, why not take part in one of the current Towpath Tidy events?

Waterway users who enjoy the River Aire and Aire & Calder Navigation in Leeds are being asked to spare a couple of hours to clean their local waterway on Wednesday 26 March as part of British Waterways’ National Towpath Tidy campaign.

The Towpath Tidy event sees volunteers join forces with British Waterways staff, along with partners of the Aire Action Leeds initiative including Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency, in clearing litter and graffiti from the canals and rivers. This year the clean up will focus on a stretch of waterway between the Royal Armouries and Knostrop Flood Lock.

... For a full list of Towpath Tidy activities taking place up and down the country visit waterscape.com. To ensure that the event is both fun and safe, volunteers must register with British Waterways in advance.

All kudos to BW for helping to promote Towpath Tidy.  But it doesn't need 'registering with BW in advance', any more than joining in with Comic Relief or Sport Aid needs 'registering'.

You won't need a lifejacket just to visit the Waterscape website either, but by the look of the photo (above) that accompanied the press release you will certainly need safety protective gear to walk along the towpath and collect litter!

I didn't lie about the 'dangerous sports' part.  This year you really can dice with death if you like, by not wearing protective goggles.  I remember the Towpath Tidy of two years ago, where two girls posed like 'Kim & Aggie' but with those protective specs as well as all the other footling safetywear.  I can't find the picture now, sorry, but by god it made them look stupid.  Do the BW people really think it's necessary just to pick up litter, or are they just doing it to shut up the health & safety nazis?

(See also my 2006 Towpath Tidy post)

Comments

[Chop!]

Quote :- "The two most dangerous words in the English language are......Health & Safety!" Stephen Fry.

Thanks for your great musings.

Safe boating.

Chop! (The mad Welshman, lost in the urban jungle, somewhere between LLanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwrndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch & Vladivostok! ;o)

[Dr Bradley]

I have always found it ridiculous for grown adults working at the side of a lock wearing lifejackets but that picture takes the biscuit. Perhaps they are afraid rogue motorcycles will drive them to the water - that wont happen ofcourse as they are wearing flourescent safety jackets.