03.03.08

Environment Agency Chiefs get dirty in Heads of Valleys

Documented guidance and advice on environmental issues offered by top dogs at the Environment Agency Wales is second to none, but their combined ability to get their hands dirty to remove litter from a Bargoed blackspot was be put to the test on Friday 22nd February.

Led by their Director, Chris Mills, senior managers at the agency spent the morning demonstrating their commitment to improving local environments by removing flytipped rubbish from Gelligaer Common. They were on more familiar grounds in the afternoon when they joined experts from Keep Wales Tidy and embarked on the task of creating an otter holt on the banks of the Nant Bargoed.

The event was held as part of Cleaner Greener Communities which is a partnership project between Keep Wales Tidy, BTCV Cymru and Groundwork Wales. The aim of the project is to encourage local communities to take responsibility for their own environment and it has been made possible through funding from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Heads of the Valleys programme.

As part of the project, Keep Wales Tidy is responsible for organising a series of large-scale, partnership, clean-up events of high profile areas to improve the aesthetic quality of the Heads of the Valleys area. The events aim to involve a wide cross-section of participants in remediation work whilst also raising awareness of the issues. Volunteers receive training in a range of environmental skills which they put to good use in their local areas.

Environment Agency’s management team learnt how to construct an otter holt from Keep Wales Tidy’s Rivers officer John Bell who said, “The Nant Bargoed is a perfect location to construct a new otter holt. With it’s improvements in water quality, the Nant Bargoed supports a wide variety of life from aquatic invertebrates, fish, river birds and is a significant contributor to the biodiversity of the County. ”

Chris Mills said: “This was a really good opportunity for us to get involved in something so hands on. We hear of the work our staff do on a daily basis to improve places for wildlife and local people, but we’re always one step removed.

“Usually, we are stuck in our offices or at meetings, but it’s good to go ‘back to the floor’ and get our hands dirty. Seeing the real impact of the work today will give us plenty of enthusiasm to carry on with our job of protecting the environment in Wales.

“This also shows how organisations such as Keep Wales Tidy, local authorities like Caerphilly Council and ourselves are getting involved with projects which can make a huge difference for people living nearby.”

Caerphilly Council's Countryside Services assisted on the day by preparing the wood needed for the holt, by removing all waste after the litterpick and by transporting the team around in their landrovers.