Having lived on St Mary’s Island since 2004, I’ve come to realise what a special place it is, not just because of all the residents and organisations that care for the area but because of our place in the delicate ecosystem of the River Medway.  As such I began to notice that the waste issues we read about in the media were also effecting us here on St Mary’s Island.  Plastic and other rubbish collecting in the river was particularly disturbing and I felt I wanted to act and help find solutions to this global problem.  By posting my thoughts about organising a community clean up event on social media, I immediately got a fantastic response from over 60 residents also wanting to support this event.  With this encouragement I contacted St Mary’s Island Residents Association and Chatham Maritime Trust and was delighted to hear that CMT were beginning talks with The Living River Foundation.  Within the month Living River Foundation and CMT had organised a litter picking event, which would not only help to protect the environment but also identify causes and solution to the problem.  Taking part in this litter pick, with my family, as a Volunteer Ambassador for LRF meant that I was able to reach my goal and by working with these inspiring organisations I hope that future events will mean that those in our community will be able to get involved in helping to repair and protect our environment.

I wanted to take this chance to reiterate why I would like to organise Litter Pick events and perhaps other engagement in the future.