Dave King MBE

Cardiff Rivers Group founder member Dave King has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list “for services to the environment”.

A self-confessed “litter-obsessive”, Dave helped found Cardiff Rivers Group back in 2009.  Since then, it has removed tonnes of rubbish from the rivers, waterways, lakes and ponds in and around Cardiff, ranging from tens of thousands of tiny pieces of polystyrene, through hundreds of tyres, shopping trolleys and traffic cones, to nearly two-dozen motorbikes. The group will be celebrating its 10th anniversary and 200th event in July.

He’s also been instrumental in setting up other groups and organisations in Cardiff, such as Keep Grangetown Tidy and The Dusty Shed (a men-in-sheds project that aims to tackle social isolation amongst older men).

The citation for his award praises his “dedication and obvious passion”, which are immediately clear to anyone who’s ever met him.

Dave told Grangetown News: “I am very, very grateful to those who took the time and effort to nominate me for this award. It was totally unexpected. No-one achieves anything on their own and this is most certainly true of me. I am passionate about both the environment and community engagement and action but wouldn’t be able to do anything without the huge support in particular of Glynis my wife and of friends in Cardiff Rivers Group, Keep Wales Tidy, Keep Grangetown Tidy and Cardiff Council.

It’s a cliché, perhaps, but it really couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke.