South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) helps break Guinness World Record for river clean
On Friday 21st March, SWFRS’ newest cohort of wholetime recruits joined a Guinness World Record attempt by participating in a massive river clean along the River Taff. The effort spanned the river’s entire route, from its source in the Brecon Beacons to Cardiff Bay.
The ‘Taff Tidy’ project, organized by ex-triathlon champion Kate Strong, saw 1,327 volunteers – including school children, Cardiff Rivers Group members, SWFRS staff, community groups, and other volunteers – collecting litter for thirty minutes in a bid to break the existing record. The volunteers were positioned at various points along the river’s path.
Guinness World Records adjudicator Prahvin Patel reminded participants that the key to success was to “actively take part in the river clean for at least thirty minutes and remove any man-made debris,” emphasising that volunteers should focus solely on cleaning the river, with witnesses verifying their actions.
At Cardiff Bay, volunteers were split into two groups: one focused on the beach area, and the other working on the area near the Norwegian Church and the Barrage to prevent debris from blowing back into the river. The rubbish which was cleared on the day amounted to 162 bags general rubbish, 19 bags of recycling, six bags of hard plastics, an entire sharps’ bin full of needles and 17 cannisters of nitrous oxide.
The previous record of 329 participants, set on the River Ganges in India in February, was shattered by the South Wales effort, which saw 998 more volunteers join the cause.
Watch Manager Kieran Moyes, who trains the new recruits at Cardiff Gate, expressed pride in their involvement: “Cardiff Gate Training Centre has supported the Cardiff Rivers Group in the past, and we’re excited to continue this partnership. For our trainees to take part in this world record attempt and give back to the Cardiff community is fantastic. We collected over 160 bags in our area of the beach alone.
“In a few weeks, these new recruits will be working in areas they helped clean today, so huge thanks to the 20 recruits who participated.”
The result was confirmed around 5:30pm on Friday, after Mr. Patel reviewed evidence from eight locations along the river.