Bin bags and gloves? Yup. Rubbish? Plenty. Litter picker heroes? Status achieved.
Colleagues from our repairs, ground maintenance and communities teams were joined by charity volunteers, community groups and local councillors on five litter picks as part of Keep Britain Tidy's, Great British Spring Clean. Over 100 bags of rubbish were collected across Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, filled with crisp packets, cigarettes and cans and larger items including a toaster and car exhaust pipe.
As well as organising our own litter picks, we joined community group Horsley Woodhouse Community Association (HWCA) in Derbyshire, and Daventry Town Council in Northamptonshire for their own Great British Spring Clean litter picks.
Tania Pells, Chairman of HWCA said: “Our members, the local Labour group and colleagues from Futures took to the streets with litter pickers in hand, even enjoying it in the rain. Thank you so much to everyone who gave up their time to support the community of Horsley Woodhouse.”
Charlotte Jones, Daventry Town Council’s Ranger said: “It was lovely to see so many people at the Southbrook community litter pick, from young to old. Everyone had a good day!”
Northamptonshire Police, Waste collectors Norse, West Northamptonshire Council and a bunch of excitable seven-year-olds from Abbey CE Academy, also joined the litter pick at Southbrook.
Charlotte added: “We collected a whole van full of rubbish, which was helped by all the partners coming together and working on each other’s lands, not just their own. It shows that teamwork between us all can show great results and impact the local communities.”
Janene Haywood, Community Engagement Project Delivery Officer at Futures said: “It was lovely to hear such positive comments from people we chatted with across the week, many thanking us for being out on their street. It was a great team effort both for our colleagues and local organisations, all with the same aim of helping the community.”
We'd like to say a special thank you to Blue Box Belper, a Derbyshire charity who kindly supported us one of the litter picks and Horsley Woodhouse Community Association for letting us join them.
Blue Box Belper is run entirely by volunteers and meet regularly for a variety of activities, including craft sessions, quiz nights and fortnightly 'cuppa, cake and chat' groups. Click here to see how you can get involved.
Horsley Woodhouse Community Association is also run by volunteers and organise local activities, including an upcoming music night, carnival and grass verge reseeding across the village. Search 'Horsley Woodhouse Community Association' on Facebook for future updates.
