u/rj_journo

When I went to Yearlsey Swimming Pool, with me being from the North East, I had no idea the impact it had on the local community. Seeing the old sign for Yearsley Baths, and reading a little into the history, it became clear what it meant to people in the area.

People have held protests to keep it open and posted many many nostalgic comments and quotes on local history groups on social media...

So I knew when James told me it could now be open for years to come it meant a lot to the community - especially with leisure centre closures across the country.

Does anyone remember Yearsley pool from their childhood?

I joined Riverlution's litter pickers a few weeks ago and I was really moved by what they told me. After picking up a bit of rubbish on the Don and getting rid of some of the invasive Himalayan Balsam (which has shallow roots causing erosion when the plant dies) I had a chat to the people litter-picking near Blonk Street Bridge.

Here's a couple of things that were mentioned to me:

• A desire to increase pride and joy in the city

>"I’ve lived here well over half of my life, and I feel partly responsible for keeping it nice. Hopefully by tidying up the place, we can help people feel happier and prouder of the place they live.”

• The idea of keeping Yorkshire's waterways clean and safe for wild swimmers

>“It made sense to take my love for the outdoors and wild swimming and do something positive for the waterways so they can be clean enough for people to swim in. Hopefully one day the rivers will be clean enough and we can swim in them forever.”

Another key things that came out of the day was the work being done to keep people safe from flooding. Almost 10,000 buildings in Sheffield are currently at risk of flooding – with the number predicted to rise to over 18,000 if climate change continues to increase rainfall intensity.

Removing litter from river-banks, slowing the flow of water from the moors and clearing balsam all helps reduce the chances of another devastating flood.

We also found an anti-litter sign, a pedestrians sign, a round alcohol drink container (reluctant to say the brand but you know) and I was even told about two sofas being found in the Sheaf.

Finally, I'll leave you with this:

>“If we take care of nature, it takes care of us.”