On 1 April 2025 employee volunteers from London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch rolled up their sleeves and took to the Grand Union Canal, joining The Great British Spring Clean, the UK’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign. Running from 21 March to 6 April 2025, this nationwide initiative inspires communities to come together and tackle litter, making local areas cleaner and more welcoming.

Volunteers from London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch prepare to take to the water for their canal clean-up.

11 volunteers, working in two teams and armed with litter pickers and nets, teamed up with community partner GoBoat Paddington to clear plastic pollution and rubbish from the waterway. Their hard work led to the removal of an impressive six bags of litter, marking the first canal clean-up of the 2025 season.

A YouGov survey conducted for The Great British Spring Clean revealed that 72% of UK adults feel less proud of their neighbourhood when they see litter. Since the initiative began in 2016, millions of volunteers have pledged to collect over four million bags of rubbish, showing their commitment to keeping local spaces clean.

One of the two teams at the first canal clean-up of the new season.

The London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch team with the rubbish they collected from the canal.

This clean-up was part of the Marble Arch BID Community Programme, which helps BID members engage in meaningful volunteering initiatives that benefit the local community. If you’re a Marble Arch BID member and want to explore employee volunteering opportunities, get in touch at community@marble-arch.london.