The Canoe River Cleaner

The Canoe River Cleaner I'm simply a guy with a canoe keeping the river tidy for the wildlife and local residents 🛶🛶
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We had a VERY good time yesterday.Me and my litterpicking husband Zac spent the day sharing tales of vintage litter and ...
14/06/2026

We had a VERY good time yesterday.

Me and my litterpicking husband Zac spent the day sharing tales of vintage litter and canoe adventures. Maybe not quite crowd stopping material, but the level of interest this year genuinely surprised us. People really connected with what we’re trying to achieve, and that meant a lot.

Zac has now got his crowd work off to a fine art and it was a pleasure to see him get his passion across to the public.

This was my fourth time at the 2026 Wildlife In Your Back Yard event (Thanks Yvonne) and it was lovely to see some familiar faces who make it such a special day. We were also joined by White’s Wildlife Watch for their debut. They slotted right in and complimented all the other activities perfectly.

Together with making the day a feast of nature for the children, its also about making connections, and none was more perfect than meeting Mary from the The Climate Coalition.
I have a feeling that our paths may be crossing again soon ☺️

Here’s a small handful of photos from the day!

See you all next year!

Happy hooves Lincs CIC
Allisons cakes
Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project
White’s Wildlife Watch
PickWalks

13/06/2026

This is definitely not a family dispute… (okay, maybe a little 😄)

I’m currently just about getting away with how our garden is evolving. While the rest of the tribe appreciate wildlife, I have a strong suspicion I’m the only one fully on board with the vision…

So I need backup 🤣

Be honest. What do you see?

A slightly overgrown mess…
or a nice little sanctuary for our buzzy, fluttery friends?

Cast your votes below 👇

CAN have nice things !I spotted the wonderful Kath this afternoon splodging some paint on the wall of Haven Methodist Ch...
13/06/2026

CAN have nice things !

I spotted the wonderful Kath this afternoon splodging some paint on the wall of Haven Methodist Church.

The subject matter is right up my street 🦋

Well done yet again Creative Start CIC

13/06/2026

Come on down IT'S FREE ☺️

Stuck for something to do with the kids?

Drag em to Bell Park in Market Rasen for the Wildlife In Your Back Yard family fun day 🦊🐝

You see me in the boat, Zac with his vintage litter, Will with his aquatic creepy crawlies, Whites Wildlife Watch with all their nature shenanigans and Louise and her owls

10am till 3pm

P.S. Theres also an AWESOME cake stall

PickWalks
White’s Wildlife Watch
The Canoe River Cleaner
Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project
Happy hooves Lincs
Allisons cakes

Some memorable moments ✨️ Since changing from car sales manager to 'that guy on the canoe' almost 6 years ago, ive certa...
12/06/2026

Some memorable moments ✨️

Since changing from car sales manager to 'that guy on the canoe' almost 6 years ago, ive certainly had some experiences 🤣

Here’s a few photos from the scrapbook

I hope you enjoy 🙏

A good old pat on the back ☺️This week I was nominated for the 'Feel Good Friday' recognition at work and won. For some,...
12/06/2026

A good old pat on the back ☺️

This week I was nominated for the 'Feel Good Friday' recognition at work and won. For some, it might seem like a small pat on the back (and some yummy chocolate) but for me it was bigger than that.

I only come in for a short time each week, co-leading Forest School for the pre-school children, but if I’m honest, I’ve found parts of it really challenging. Not the passion for nature or the ideas, but the delivery. Working with this age group is far from easy, and I’m still learning every time I visit with them.

That’s why this message from Michelle meant a lot (see LAST photo)

What stood out most is that it recognised something I’ve been consciously trying to improve listening, adapting, and letting the children guide parts of the experience.

I've since learned that there’s a lot of science behind this approach. When young children learn through play and lead their own activities, it helps their thinking, problemsolving, and emotional development. When they explore freely outdoors, they’re not just playing, they’re learning how to communicate, and build important brain connections.

Anyway, yeah. It was nice to be recognised.

Grant Thorold Forest School - Early Years Educare Ltd

Eager Beavers 🦫This evening I had the pleasure (and challenge! 😂) of leading the brilliant children from 1st Healing Bea...
11/06/2026

Eager Beavers 🦫

This evening I had the pleasure (and challenge! 😂) of leading the brilliant children from 1st Healing Beavers who, had enough energy to power a small village.

The plan was simple....

1.ENJOY nature with an I-Spy activity
2.FEED nature with a duck feed
3.GIVE BACK to nature with a litter pick

The only catch? We had just 60 minutes 😮

To be fair, we did move at quite a pace, but it matched the children’s energy perfectly, and I think it’s safe to say they absolutely loved it!

The amount of litter was minimal, thanks in no small part to Zac PickWalks and the wonderful Freshney Comrades 👏

A big thank you as well to everyone who waved and encouraged the children along the way, it really meant a lot to them 😊

1st Healing Scout Group

The King And I 👑 🛶Well, I'm a bit indifferent when it comes to the royal family, but when you get offered £1,000,000 to ...
11/06/2026

The King And I 👑 🛶

Well, I'm a bit indifferent when it comes to the royal family, but when you get offered £1,000,000 to take the King to Horizon Youth Zone via the river Freshney, then I'm the biggest royalist there is 🤣

Entourage was a little much though !!

Horizon Youth Zone
Freshney Comrades
North East Lincolnshire Council

Rain DIDN'T stop play 🌧Despite the weather, we cracked on and ended up having a great time.Each year Annie from YPAG con...
11/06/2026

Rain DIDN'T stop play 🌧

Despite the weather, we cracked on and ended up having a great time.

Each year Annie from YPAG contacts me and asks me to run one of their monthly activities, and I bloomin love it.

Introducing or reconnecting young people to nature is one of my favourite things, especially when they embrace it as much as this mob did.

As with all of my activities, we gave back to nature with a litterpick.
We were extremely impressed with how good the park looked and the lack of litter we found considering the areas we covered.
Thank you to those who work hard at keeping it tidy 👏

We were joined by Linkage Community Trust, Orchard School, Cambridge Park Academy and Learning4Life-GY with a wondeful human who attended thats on the EOTAS package 😊

If you are parents of these lovely nitwits, please know that they conducted themselves impeccably and really embraced the session.

I hope you enjoy the photos 📸

It’s all going on right under our noses!From a nature perspective, the transition from spring into summer is full of act...
11/06/2026

It’s all going on right under our noses!

From a nature perspective, the transition from spring into summer is full of activity.

While the dawn chorus is starting to lose momentum, and much of the intensity of mating season, like territorial disputes and courtship displays has begun to settle, there’s still plenty happening.

Many birds are now raising young. We’re right in the middle of peak feeding time, with adults constantly foraging to keep up with hungry chicks (especially if youre a Reed Warbler feeding a Cuckoo 🤣).
Some species will go on to have second broods, and not all young fledge at the same time, so activity continues well into the season.

This is especially noticeable in wooded areas, where birds tend to stay within smaller ranges while their young are still dependent and not yet strong fliers.

You might also find birds are a little more tolerant of people at the moment. With their focus on feeding, they can be easier to observe, particularly if you stay quiet and still.

Here are a few I’ve taken. Nothing spectacular, so feel free to share your own photos too!

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