HUNDREDS of people got together to clean up Taunton in 2018 - with school children getting involved.

On Tuesday, November 13, 300 people from Taunton came together to tidy up after teaming up with Somerset Wildlife Trust.

More than 60 bags of full rubbish were collected on the day.

Groups from Viridor, Pennon Group, South West Water and Inland Waterways Association came together at COACH in, French Weir Park, to paddle the River Tone in canoes and kayaks with instructors from Channel Adventure.

The groups cleaned as they went, and combed the riverbanks and footpaths for discarded litter – helped by Shane Austin – a seasoned litter-picker who frequently clears rubbish from the local rivers and canals in his kayak.

Shane Austin helped hundreds of people clear up Taunton's litter problem in 2018. (Image: Tops Mini Mariners) There was also a group of 35 people, including members of Friends of Longrun Meadow, My Day Care Service, 41F (Taunton and District) Squadron Air Training Corps Cadets, CO2 Balance and members of the public who took part in a litter pick in Longrun Meadow, collecting eight large bags of litter, as well as a row of seats that had been abandoned in the park.

Schools such as Blackbrook School and St George’s Catholic School took part, with other schools including Bishops Henderson School and Cotford St Luke Primary School running their own litter picks in the following days.

The littlest litter-pickers were from Tops Mini Mariners, a group of 15 pre-school children and five staff who did an 'amazing' job clearing litter from the Hankridge area, collecting four bags in total.

Jolyon Chesworth, nature and wellbeing manager for SWT at the time said: “We were absolutely delighted by the way that people from all parts of town and across a range of communities took part.

"It shows this is something that people really care about; that people are happy to take responsibility to help make a difference and demonstrates to the wider public the huge impact that a collective effort can make in terms of keeping our local green spaces, streets and workplaces clean and safe for people and for wildlife.

"A big thank you to all who took part.”