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Town's river cleaners land top national award

Eleanor MaslinEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
News imageGrantham RiverCare A group of litter pickers wearing blue, yellow and orange high vis vests, with some standing on top of a wall and others sitting below it. They are holding litter picks and bags and there is also a golden retriever.Grantham RiverCare
Grantham RiverCare volunteers remove litter and debris from the River Witham and surrounding areas

A river-cleaning group has picked up the highest national award for volunteer groups in the UK.

Grantham RiverCare was the only group in Lincolnshire to have won a King's Award for Voluntary Service this year from environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

The award recognised the group's "exceptional commitment" to the environment and community over 20 years, with more than 150 clean-ups of the River Witham and surrounding areas since 2004.

In a joint statement, Grantham RiverCare's leaders, David Martin and Ian Simmons, said: "This award belongs to every single volunteer who has helped over the past two decades - and especially to our founder, John Knowles, whose vision started it all."

News imageGrantham RiverCare A group of litter pickers wearing blue, yellow and orange high vis vests, with some standing on top of a wall and others sitting below it. They are holding litter picks and bags and there is also a golden retriever.Grantham RiverCare
The group says it has collected at least 30 tonnes of waste over the past 21 years

The award will be presented to the group by Toby Dennis, lord lieutenant of Lincolnshire, on behalf of the King at a later date.

The group's leaders added: "It's a huge honour that celebrates the passion, teamwork, and dedication of our group.

"Through volunteering, we're making a real difference - improving our local environment, supporting wildlife, and helping people feel proud of where they live."

News imageGrantham RiverCare A group of litter pickers wearing blue, yellow and orange high vis vests, with some standing on top of a wall and others sitting below it. They are holding litter picks and bags and there is also a golden retriever. A sign on the fence says 'let's rescue our rivers and save our seas'.Grantham RiverCare
Grantham RiverCare started with litter-picks along the River Witham and now manages habitats and monitors wildlife

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said the charity was "thrilled" to give the group the award.

"Their passion for protecting the River Witham and its green spaces is a real inspiration," she added.

The RiverCare and BeachCare programme is run by Keep Britain Tidy in partnership with Anglian Water.

It stretches from the Humber Estuary to the Essex coast and supports communities caring for a variety of "blue spaces".

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