Last Saturday, on a beautiful, sunny spring day, Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust held the 11th Annual Clean-up Day.
Many community groups and individuals, committed to making our shoreline a safer and happier place to enjoy, turned up ready to register and start work.
The event is held during ‘Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week’, when communities all over New Zealand come together to clean their environments.
Three hours after the 9am start, approximately 15 trailer loads of vegetation and two of rubbish had made its way to the Cromwell Transfer Station.
This year, because of the Level 2 restrictions, the maximum number of people able to attend was 100, and registration and scanning were mandatory.
Community groups of Cromwell Lions Club, Cromwell Rugby Football Club and Rotary Club of Cromwell did the heavy maintenance, equipped with appropriate loppers and machinery.
Other groups working along the lake foreshore were the Cromwell NZ Scout Group, Cromwell Primary School, Old Cromwell Trust, Cromwell School and Club Rowing, Mokihi Reforestation Trust, Cromwell Early Learning Centre Inc (CELCI), Cromwell College, and Toitu Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand.
Newly appointed Community Engagement Coordinator for the Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust, Megan Phillips, is delighted with the turn-out, saying, “It has been a fantastic response from the community. We were a bit worried about the numbers because of the Covid 19 restrictions, but the amount of energy that has gone into the day has been wonderful – kids, adults, everyone has been so involved.
We were overwhelmed by how many people came along. Thank you for helping make the area safer and more inviting.”
To learn more about Lake Dunstan and the work being done to improve it, visit: www.lakedunstan.org
