A successful first clean-up operation by the Water of Leith Conservation Trust (WOLCT) signals an optimistic start to the new year.
On January 7 2026, more than 30 volunteers took part in their monthly litter-picking and conservation operation.
WOLCT boasts in its ‘2025 Wrapped’ that volunteer work totalled around 9000 hours, focusing on walkway maintenance, litter picking, and survey collection.
Scotland’s first-ever river charity, founded in 1988, is a community initiative that includes education from nursery-level to lifelong learning courses.
Johnny Wells, ranger at the trust, remarked that both “students and staff” at Edinburgh University work with the Trust, naming the Dirty Weekenders group as regular volunteers.
WOLCT promotes the Water of Leith not only as a conservation project but also as a leisurely setting that University of Edinburgh students could enjoy, and stated:
“Each generation of students at the university will hopefully find the river at some part of their time in Edinburgh.
“Whether that’s as part of a tourist trip for a selfie at Dean Village, with waders standing in the river as part of their studies, or for relaxation from exam stress.”
“Water of Leith, Edinburgh” by M McBey is licensed under CC BY 2.0.