WSA, Glamorgan Cricket and Welsh Rowing host buzzing Taff Tidy location at Sophia Gardens
The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) was thrilled to collaborate with members Glamorgan Cricket and Welsh Rowing to contribute to Taff Tidy, the world record-setting river cleanup, hosting one of eight locations at Sophia Gardens.
The campaign inspired collective action to tackle environmental issues and raised awareness among volunteers, the local community and beyond about the dangers to our water system in Wales.
In total, 1,327 people participated simultaneously to clean up the River Taff on Friday 21 March, with the WSA, Glamorgan Cricket and Welsh Rowing – representing the Welsh Clean Water Sports Alliance – hosting the Sport Sector Location at Sophia Gardens.
It was fantastic to see a total of 449 people turn up to contribute to the cleanup at Sophia Gardens, the busiest location of all eight along the river. This was another reminder of the power of sport, as well as the sector’s desire, to drive sustainable change, following on from the WSA Sustainability in Sport Conference in November and the recent news of the Sustainability in Sport Fund grant awards, supported by Admiral Group.
The Sport Sector Location garnered a lot of attention in the build-up, and we were thrilled to welcome England international cricketer Maia Bouchier, as well as Cardiff Council Leader Huw Thomas, to Sophia Gardens.
With views of the Taff, Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground and Pontcanna Fields, an overwhelming amount of litter and waste was collected by participants, demonstrating the need for collective action and, behavioural change.
The campaign was the vision of Pontypridd-born World Champion triathlete, Kate Strong, who worked with freshwater expert and academic from Cardiff University, Dr Numair Masud, to raise awareness of the fragility of our water system and spark action across Wales to combat river pollution.
“I think we don’t talk enough about what we can do every single day to help our rivers,” Kate commented.
“Yes, we are organising a world record clean up event by picking up our rubbish but the food we eat at home directly affects our rivers systems, what we flush down our toilets directly affects our river systems.
“So, I think we really need to look after our fresh water system that supports life.”
As well as provoking behaviour change, raising awareness, and breaking a world record, the campaign has shown the strength of the sporting community and what can be achieved collectively to set ourselves up for a sustainable future.
Following on from Taff Tidy, Dr Masud will also test water samples taken at each location, identifying how much the cleanup will have benefited the water quality in the river.
“It is worth remembering that the River Taff was considered ecologically dead once upon a time,” he stated.
“So, it really is a reminder that things can improve because of human initiative,” said Dr Masud.
“Analysing waste along the River Taff along those eight key locations will be incredibly important because not only is it going to be the largest ever river clean-up, it may potentially be the largest ever individual points survey for plastic pollutants, for example.
“And as someone who is working on plastic pollution that is incredibly important,” he added.
Participants were also asked to fill survey prior and after the event, assessing their relationships and behaviours towards the environment.
“If we are serious about making a difference to our rivers and the natural world as a whole, we need to be patient,” Dr Masud said.
“We need to think about long term-ism rather than short term-ism.
“Human beings as a species, we like quick fixes, and the Taff Tidy is a single moment in time.
“But what it’s trying to create, or what Kate and I are trying to create, is a legacy to remind people that we need to be in this together for the long haul. Otherwise, it’s not going to work.”
The WSA would like to thank each and every participant who took part at Sophia Gardens, as well as at all the other seven locations, to shout about the dangers that the natural world faces and how important it is to take collective collection to combat this.
We are thrilled to be part of this brilliant world record, and would like to congratulate and thank Kate for her tireless efforts in achieving this.
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