1:50 pm, August 22, 2022
Two dealerships in Lancashire hosted their first events as part of conservation efforts to improve the river Ribble and its tributaries.
Staff at Bowker Mini on Preston Docks and Trident Park in Blackburn joined forces with customers to volunteer for Ribble Rivers Trust.
Neither centre is a stranger to charity work, but it was the first time they’d united with customers on local conservation.
The Preston Bowker Mini Centre event focused on removing as much litter as possible from the Ribble in Penwortham to help free it and riverbanks from waste and plastic, preventing the pollution from reaching the sea.
Meanwhile, the Bowker Mini Centre in Blackburn went brash-bundling along Bashall brook to protect the riverbank from further erosion.
Bundles are created from coppiced willows and act as natural barriers, dispersing the water’s energy and providing a habitat for fish and invertebrates.
Amy Lancaster-Hall, Bowker Mini group marketing manager, said: ‘Many of our staff and customers live locally and enjoy the Lancashire countryside for recreation and leisure pursuits.
‘Ribble Rivers Trust created two great events. We learnt so much about their mission and this is just the start of our volunteering with them.’
Bowker Mini worked with Ribble Rivers Trust to create the volunteer events.
The trust is involved in a number of conservation activities in the Ribble area. Volunteers will be involved in organised support that may include tree planting, clean-ups, fencing and brash-building using wood from fallen trees.
Jack Spees, chief executive of the charity, said: ‘Thank you to Bowker Mini staff and customers for joining us on two of our conservation events.
‘Volunteers are incredibly important to us. They are a vital workforce in helping to deliver improvement to the environment, and are the eyes and ears of this vast area.
‘Bowker Mini staff and customers made a huge difference by collecting litter and plastic and brash-bundling.
‘It was the perfect blend of the great outdoors and meeting like-minded people – not forgetting gaining experience and learning new skills.’
He added: ‘The events we created for Bowker Mini represent a small but important part of the trust’s work. With more than 3,114 miles of rivers and streams in the catchment area, there is always a lot to do.’
The Bowker Mini volunteering events formed part of a national initiative launched by Mini UK called Big Love.
Pictured at top from left are Bowker Mini manager Daniel Gibson, graphic designer Ben Bassett, Ribble Rivers Trust volunteer Ian Blades and Bowker marketing executive Jess O’Neill
