CUBS and Beavers from the Sheerwater Scout group have been busy cleaning up their area with a series of litterpicks.

“We try to do an annual litterpick but this year I was keen for it to coincide it with the global Scouts Trash the Trash Day [Saturday 7 May],” said Paul Hayes, a Beaver section leader.

“We did the picks in the following week. Our Eagle pack went out on Monday and Lion pack on Thursday, both of them hitting the Basingstoke Canal around Sheerwater.

“On Friday, we took Beavers to the Bedser Trail at Woodham Common, not wanting to walk around a cleaned-up Sheerwater!

“Kate Wilson, from the neighbourhood team at Woking Borough Council, provided us with the litterpicking equipment and black bags, and arranged for Serco to collect any rubbish we collected.

“The whole group collected 10 full black sacks. It was mainly cans, bottles and wrappers from crisps and sweets.

“On the Bedser Trail someone had been having barbecues and we cleared up a lot up from that area.

“The strangest item we found was one random shoe by a boggy area of Woodham Common!

“Litterpicking goes towards a Community Impact Badge, and helping out our local community also goes towards the top badge to be earned: Chief Scout Bronze Award for Beavers, and Chief Scout Silver Award for Cubs.”

The Sheerwater group are always happy to welcome recruits – spaces are available in both Cub Packs and the Scout Troop. Beavers are presently full but spaces will become available next year.

Eagle Cub pack (for ages eight to ten and a half) meet on Mondays (6.30-8pm); Lion Cub pack on Thursdays (7-8.30pm); Beavers (ages six to eight) on Fridays 6-7pm. The Scout Troop (ages ten and a half to fourteen) meet on Wednesday (7.15-9pm).

FOR more information or to join, visit www.sheerwaterscouts.org.uk  or email [email protected]. Also visit www.scoutstrashthetrashday.org.