NMBS pushes the boat out for charity

Staff from independent merchant buying group NMBS recently swapped the office for canoes in aid of Leicestershire Cares.

The challenge entailed volunteers from a number of local businesses carrying out a litter pick on the banks of the River Soar – Leicestershire’s main river and a major tributary of the River Trent.

The NMBS team travelled between the different sites involved using four canoes and in total collected 28 bags of rubbish, surpassing the average 20 bags normally collected by people taking the challenge.

Amongst the rubbish removed by the team were the remains of almost an entire kitchen.

All the waste retrieved was carefully sorted and subsequently sent for either proper disposal or recycling.

The registered charity provides volunteering opportunities for companies looking to get involved with the local communities in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Leicestershire Cares staged the litter pick in support of fellow charity, Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

Based in a boathouse on the banks of the River Soar, the Centre offers a range of adventurous activities designed to stimulate, educate and motivate young people and other groups. These activities include canoeing, kayaking, raft building, fencing, orienteering, climbing and archery.

Ultimately, the litter pick will help to improve the environment used by the Centre’s customers. It will also benefit the habitat of the various birds, animals and fish that live along the waterway.

Chris Hayward, managing director at NMBS, said: “NMBS is an organisation with a strong sense of corporate social responsibility and we already work closely with a number of industry-specific charities such as The Rainy Day Trust and CRASH.

“Teaming up with Leicestershire Cares enables us to build on that on a local level. It allows us to give something back to the surrounding community and also provides some interesting and enjoyable team building opportunities.”