After opening ideas up to the team, it was suggested to a greatly positive response that Pharmora try out an afternoon of litter-picking the local area. Joining Pharmora were two willing volunteers from the SAS Daniels Team, Genevieve and Jade, as well as Martin from IDMC. Ansa Environmental Services Ltd kindly provided all the equipment the staff would need, and while most members had never been before, upon equipping their gloves, high-vis, and elongated crab claws, the office spirits were up and the team was ready to clean. Splitting into teams of two to four, each group was given a short route along which to litter pick. The bonus goal of finding the strangest item was also posed- with some strong entries including a DVD copy of Final Destination 2, an Xbox controller, and a suspiciously clean suitcase that ideally wasn’t featured on an episode of Border Force.
Either way, the team were pleased to give back to the area where many of us live and received some lovely comments from passers-by congratulating us on the effort. By the end of the afternoon, there were almost a dozen bags of collected waste and so we headed to the popular ‘Picturedrome’ to be treated to a drink to unwind from the work. Overall, everybody seemed to have a good time and it was fulfilling for the team not only to help people through their work in clinical trials, but also directly in their own community.
