Volunteers at the Envirotrek Keswick clean-up

Volunteers at the Envirotrek Keswick clean-up

A chair leg, old pottery, tent poles and flip-flops were among the debris cleared from a Lake District beauty spot by volunteers.

The second of this summer’s UK Envirotrek Respect the Mountains clean-up days took place in Keswick, with 20 bags of rubbish cleared from the shores of Derwent Water.

The KEEN-sponsored event attracted 30 participants, who joined the ‘keep our playground clean’ day of activity in the national park on Sunday.

A similar clean-up took place in the Hope Valley in the Peak District the previous weekend.

A KEEN spokesperson said: “Now in its second year in the UK, the Envirotrek is a simple hike and clean up concept that gives local communities and tourists the opportunity to give something back to their environment while enjoying some playtime in the great outdoors.

“This hands-on, grassroots operation helps to care for key mountain areas ensuring these special and iconic destinations can be enjoyed by future generations.”

The clean-up in progress

The clean-up in progress

The two events produced almost 50 bags of rubbish weighing 200kg.

After the morning’s clean-up and a free lunch, participants took part in gill scrambling and canoeing instruction or rope activities. Caving and hiking were also on offer at the Peak District event.

It is the second year the KEEN-sponsored clean-ups have taken place in Britain.

The Envirotrek clean-up days now move to continental Europe, with similar events in the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and France.

To mark the events, grough readers can win a pair of KEEN Clearwater CNX hybrid sandals worth £75 in our free-to-enter competition which ends on Sunday.

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