Greater Manchester charity goes bananas for equipment donation

Volunteers for Banana Enterprise have received a welcome boost to their community clean-up efforts from United Utilities.

The charity, based in Farnworth, Greater Manchester, was presented with tools for litter picking and invasive species management as part of the Better Rivers Better North West Community Fund. 

Banana Enterprise is a registered charity that is in the process of saving the historic Rock Hall situated in Moses Gate Country Park. As part of this work, they undertake balsam bashing, wildflower meadow clearance, and hedge maintenance work on the River Croal.

Charity volunteers met with River Rangers form the North West’s water company as they handed over the equipment and embarked on a litter pick together.

Jayne Allman who set up Banana Enterprise with her husband Christopher, said,

“We are so very grateful to United Utilities for donating some litter picking equipment for our charity volunteers to use in Moses Gate Country Park.

We often don’t have the funding available to buy equipment like this and in the past we have had to borrow some.

This will really help our litter picking efforts around the River Croal.   It was great to meet the United Utilities River Rangers who handed over the equipment.

They are clearly passionate about what they do and were very supportive of the difference we are trying to make in the park.”

Shy Bayly, Area Engagement Lead at United Utilities said,

“Banana Enterprise is doing some great work in restoring Rock Hall and we relished the opportunity to help them out with the areas around the River Croal. Organisations like this are really important to the health of our waterways and this donation of equipment helps them undertake their work more efficiently.”

The Better Rivers Better North West Community Fund supports community groups whose activities:

• benefit local watercourses and riverside environments
• act as catalyst for improved community and environmental wellbeing
• reconnect communities to riverside environments
• promote sustainable drainage

Groups can apply to the fund for up to £2,500 worth of support by emailing Stakeholderrelations@uuplc.co.uk with details of their request.