Watch John's film

Read a transcript of John's film:

"Once a week or sometimes fortnightly, we go down to the Llynfi Valley river. We meet in the car park and then decide which area to clean.

It takes about two hours on a Saturday morning. All the rubbish is then dispensed at the local refuse dump.

The group was set up because the river ended up with shopping trolleys, bikes, all sorts of rubbish.

The river is a main river running through Maesteg. We like to see it clean when you walk down in the morning or when you walk along it. There's fish there, plenty of fish there, herons. Lower down the river there's some otters. So there's a good variety of life on the river.

People are please to see us working on a Saturday morning. They stop and look and have a chat, and I think they go away quite happy. The river has improved definitely in the last five years.

We don't go out purposely to trap people, but if someone knowingly dumps rubbish in the river, then the environmental people are informed.

It has improved, but it's got a long way to go, but it's got a long way to go before all the people do the right things all the time.

To look at the river when it's nice and clean and shiny, it makes you feel good. We've done something worthwhile."

To join the Llynfi Valley River Care Group,
call 01656 732631.