Today I spent the morning at Weston Park, helping clear up after the V Festival. I went with dad’s Rotary club, who were asked if they would like to come and collect any tents that were after and distribute them to Rotary charities. Apparently there were loads of tents and other camping equipment that is just left behind by people, so I said I would go and help. The idea was that we would get as many as possible packed away and put onto big lorries to be taken to disaster areas etc.
When I arrived, I saw the most awful mess ever! I think there were five camping fields, all of them full of litter. It looked like a right pig sty! Everything from frying pans to sausages, coats, jeans and wellies just left there.
All of the tents had been dropped down by security (I assume to make sure there were no dangerous items or bodies in them), so all we had to do was find ones worth keeping and pack them away. You wouldn’t believe some of the tents that were left, many of them brand new, complete with bags. I didn’t count how many I managed to get, but there must have been thousands just on the field we were working on. Working in two’s, we had managed to get most of the ones worth keeping and loaded onto trucks by about 1.
Quite an experience! I was disgusted by the mess that was left behind by these people. How much does it take to put your rubbish in a bin before you leave? Or even take it home if there aren’t any bins. At least some people who have just lost everything will have a nice new tent to sleep in.