YOUNGSTERS taking part in a special litter picking session along Abberd Brook this morning, had a special visitor join them, much to the delight of all attending.
The River Warriors group hosted the litter-pick with special guest - Norman the donkey, who was visiting from Chloe's Mobile Farm.
Tamzyn Long who organises the Calne environmental group Rivers Warriors, explained that her group had been winners of the Environmental Award for getting youngsters committed to caring for, and improving, Calne's waterways in the BBC's Make a Difference Awards in 2022.
This year, Tamzyn was invited back to the BBC studios to mark the launch of their Make a Difference 2025 awards event, where she met Chloe from Chloe's Mobile Farm - the owner of Norman the donkey. Norman had himself been a winner of the Animal Award in the Make a Difference 2024 event. His award was for bringing smiles and calm to special educational needs schools and care homes.
Tamzyn told us: "I met Chloe at that event and realised that we're quite local to each other and thought it would be nice to do a little collaboration, so I said 'why doesn't Norman come on a litter pick down along the Abberd Brook?' so that's where the idea came from - and it was a roaring success!"
Fellow River Warriors member, Cllr Robert MacNaughton told us: "Everybody loved Norman. Most of the youngsters and parents were totally enchanted. Norman was relaxed about the fuss. I am sure he enjoyed his visit as well."
The event, which was attended by many youngsters and parents, aimed to remove rubbish from the river and promote environmental awareness. They used extra-long pickers which enabled the children to safely remove rubbish without needing to go near to the water. Thanks to some dads and a grandad who attended the event, the group were also able to retrieve a trolley and traffic cone from the river.
After the litter-picking, everyone enjoyed Easter eggs and cakes before moving to the Pop-Up Park where they took part in some Easter activities and crafts that the volunteers there had organised.
Tamzyn concluded: "It was just a really fun, fun day!"
Photo courtesy of River Warriors
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