It's a beautiful and tranquil scene — a river rushing under a stone bridge and surrounded by trees.

The only thing marring it is the cache of drinks containers, empty alcohol bottles and takeaway wrappers scattered across the banks of the Agivey River in Garvagh, not to mention the swathes of plastic sheeting caught in overhanging trees.

But last week two of the village’s ‘good fairies’ rolled up their sleeves and got to work, gathering a group of volunteers to help clear up the mess on what they hope will eventually be a picnic spot that everyone can enjoy.

Friends Donna Rainey and Selena Archibald head out every week to clear up a road, walkway or beauty spot in the area. So dedicated are they that the local council has provided them with extra black and blue bins to cope with the mountain of litter they gather every week.

And their latest pact is a record-breaking bid to go out and pick litter every one of the 10 days of the Big Spring Clean campaign running from April 8 to 17. The Belfast Telegraph has teamed up with Tidy Northern Ireland to get as many people as possible to get involved in litter picks during the event — beating the 2,400 volunteers that signed up last year.

Donna says the pair pick up litter around the village regularly, although it can be disheartening when it simply comes back.

“We do it on a regular basis, targeting all the local beauty spots, walking routes and cycling routes and our own roads. It’s a constant uphill battle — you do a whole road and three weeks later you wonder if you had ever been here,” she said.

“We’re also involved in the ASAP (as sustainably as possible) pledge and we’re trying to get people signed up to it. We are pledging not to use plastic bags, other than to put litter into bins and to lift more litter and urge other people to get involved.

“We like to encourage other people to come out and pick up litter. If everyone took away litter on the bit of road where they live, it would make a massive difference.

“People have identified Northern Ireland as an extremely dirty country to come to, even though it is so beautiful.”

Selena made a particular plea to drivers not to throw litter out of their windows.

“It makes the roads very unpleasant — even glass bottles are being thrown. If you throw out glass bottles, chances are that other drivers will have a puncture as a result. It makes it so unsafe for people who have to walk with children and dogs.”

The volunteers say the spot on the banks of the Agivey River is very beautiful with its old stone bridge — but is marred by people drinking and littering there.

Along a 150-metre stretch of bank they found a multitude of bottles and wrappers, a couple of footballs, a car mat, a tarpaulin, an empty cooking oil drum and a twisted section of iron.

Some people even ditch their litter in the adjoining graveyard, according to Rev Mark Donald, minister of 1st Garvagh Presbyterian Church.

“I’ve filled a bin liner of rubbish from the church cemetery alone,” he said.

“It’s incredible how it’s a place of rest, a burial place, but people don’t have any difficulty throwing rubbish into it.”