Litter pick at Waddesdon with Orinoco the Womble
The 17th March was the first of a new annual litter picking initiative at Waddesdon Manor. The litter pick was led by the womble ‘Orinoco’. Our Visitor Experience Manager Simon Wales dressed up in the outfit for the event. The weather was kind to us, about 70 people turned up (both staff and volunteers including some of their day off), staff and volunteers then split into five teams. The grounds were scoured and one staff member even donned their wellies and got into the North Front fountain. All in all 65 bin bags of rubbish were collected.
Some extraordinary items were found during the event including an oven, an old loo, a car seat, several traffic cones and a plethora of plastic bags, bottles and cans. We also found several oddities such as small animal skulls, some horns, china fragments and a boot clay pipe. The clay pipe dates from the late 19th or early 20th century and the bowl was fashioned as a boot. Senior curator Rachel Boak found the pipe today on the bank leading down towards the Power House.
Jane Finch, collection steward, found an interesting metal object with the inscription ‘Crosskills’ on it, which was a company that made agricultural equipment in Beverly Yorkshire, it was likely to have been part of a farm cart from the estate.
Sarah Weir, our chief executive, has decided to make this an annual event, where all the different departments can get outside and help to spruce up the environment of Waddesdon before it opens again to the public, making sure it’s looking its best after all the winter events drew in record numbers of visitors. This year Waddesdon Manor re-opens on the 26th March.