Handsworth Helping Hands

A litter picking group covering Beam Parklands / Old Dagenham Park. Looking for more volunteers so we can over a larger area.

We aim to increase social responsibility within the town. We hope that by showing pride in the town it will inspire other people and residents to take ownership of the area in which they live. We are sick of fly tipping and litter and hope to make a positive impact on the town by becoming more action orientated!

I am a solo litter picker for my area

Rubbish disposal and fly tipping is becoming an increasing problem nationally compounded by reduced services across the counties. Many communities are taking it upon themselves to get out and tidy up their local areas by grabbing a bag and a litter picker and spending an hour or so in their immediate local area picking up discarded rubbish. If you are interested in meeting up once a month then please come along on the third Saturday, and together we can make a difference to rubbish and fly tipping in our area. All equipment is provided, including ‘kids kits’ so that children can participate safely too. We meet at 10am at the Gamston Village Hall and are out for a maximum of 2 hours. The monthly litter picking is in Gamston but the equipment is available for all residents of the villages of Adbolton, Bassingfield, Gamston and Holme Pierrepont to use.

Mersea Island Nr Colchester. Focussing on preventing litter ending up in the sea and protecting and enhancing the environment

We periodically organise group litter picks around the Purbrook and Widley areas, including in local woodland. The aim of the Adopt a Grot Spot campaign is for individual residents to tackle litter in areas not routinely cleared by the Council.

Who are we? We are an environmental group undertaking planting in our village, litter picks, promoting reduction in Co2 and smart driving, and working with the local community to make our village a litter free area. We deliver over 1700 newsletters around our village promoting our message and work with Thringstone Primary School and the local brownie group various events, including a scarecrow festival in June 2011 which brought together all sectors of the community . We held another scarecrow event, in conjunction with Thringstone Methodists, on Saturday 6th July 2013. Our chairman litter picks daily, and is helped by others who litter pick regularly. We try, where possible, to recycle items which can be recycled. We petitioned for extra recycling bins in our village and now have two tin and plastic bottle recycling points and a glass recycling point, and are currently asking for the council to consider ways of recycling acceptable items put in roadside litter bins. Between February 2013 and the end of February 2014, we removed 1,958 bags of litter from the village and woodlands, which we feel is a staggering amount. We have also worked with other groups on environmental issues in the village, and were part of the steering group that saw Thringstone Youth Club win the Children and Young People\\\\\\\'s Green Footprints Award in 2011 for their mural project. We have taken over several flowerbeds and previously untidy and unused areas in the village for planting and offer historical and environmental walks around the village. Please see our website which is www.friends-of-thringstone.org.uk for further details on our group, plus details on our constitution, health and safety policy, equal opportunities policy, parental consent statements and volunteer expenses statement. You can also see on that site details of all our publications. What have we done? In 2009 we won the NW Leicestershire Green Footprints Awards, were awarded an outstanding achievement certificate by East Midlands In Bloom in 2009, and won a gold and silver in the village achievement awards run by the Rural Community Council. In 2010 and were finalists in the Community and Partnerships category of the NWLDC\\\\\\\'s Green Footprints Awards and again in 2013. In 2011 we won The Queen\\\\\\\'s Award for Voluntary Service, something of which we are very proud, especially since 2011 was the European Year of Volunteering,. In 2015 we won the Big Tidy Award at the Keep Britain Tidy Jubilee Awards 2015. In 2021 we won the Leicestershire Live Environmental Heroes Award and also won the Community Organisation Award 2021 with Leicestershire Community Champions. We have a facebook page, and we are also on twitter - address is @Thringstone2. In 2019, our chairman was awarded a British Empire Medal for service to Thringstone and in September 2019, her dog, who accompanied her on all her litter picks, was awarded a commendation from the PDSA.

Group created to bring the community together against litter and fly-tipping in the area. To help keep our village and surrounding areas clean, green and safe. With nature and wildlife in mind.

If you're reading this you're probably already aware that there is a serious litter problem and something must be done! As well as solo daily pickings while walking the dogs, I'm also organising various community clean-ups, mostly a monthly one at the Welsh Harp. I have lots of equipment which I'm very happy to lend out, as well as welcoming suggestions for other areas that need a clean-up. Please contact if you wish to get involved.

Group of five villages in the Parish trying to keep their area and lanes clean and safe