As you enter West Ham Park and gaze at the beauty of it, you look towards the open spaces and what do you see? Litter!

Despite the best efforts of the keepers the problem is ever present, and this is where a dedicated group of the Friends of West Ham Park have stepped up to the mark to help the overworked keepers, who have many duties to perform in keeping our park looking pristine and safe for the public.

Several days a week two volunteers from the group, fully armed with the necessary equipment, venture out into the park to hunt down the offending litter with a vengeance. You may think that this is a chore for us but fortunately the Friends group are quite happy to help with the litter pick.

Over time you come to know where to find the hidden litter, under bushes for example. It is almost like a game of hide and seek, people hide the litter in all sorts of hidey-holes and we seek it out, even in the most unusual places.

As we walk through the park hunting down the litter, time seems immaterial and passes quite quickly as you constantly focus on scanning the area to espy even the smallest piece of litter.

It is always uplifting when the general public walking through the park say how much they appreciate what you are doing in helping to keep the park clean for them to enjoy.

Let’s all be proud of our park and remember to place the litter into one of the 96 bins provided or else take your litter home.

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