Ilminster Forum Litter Pickers

Aim to clear up litter in and around Salisbury .

Sparkbrook farm park

We are taking litter picking in to our own hands. We are fed up with plastic bags and rubbish littering our streets, blowing in to our gardens and spoiling our pavements. We are proud of where we live and want to encourage others to care for our streets as we do. Our vision is for a clean environment for our families and friends. We are an open group and welcome anyone to join.

I am retired and collect litter as an individual. I started litter picking when I was living in Small Heath and collected more than 1,750 bags over a three year period. I have now moved to Coseley, which is far less blighted by litter, but it is still about. I collect litter two or three times a week around Upper Ettingshall Road, Ivy House Lane, Shaw Road and roads and alleys leading from that area.

To make my area cleaner and more presentable.

Keeping the 2 Dales of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale free from litter for the enjoyment of our local community and many visitors to our area of outstanding natural beauty in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Rubbish Friends organises litter picking sessions around Stratford upon Avon and surrounding areas so that the environment is improved for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. Rubbish Friends also promotes the benefits of this work to raise public awareness of the issues related to litter and its impact.

We are a revitalised 'clean-up' group of some 20 years' standing which incorporated collaboration with other agencies such as the Environment Agency, TCV, Highways and Groundwork as well as improving communication with our LA, local farmers and schools. Our aims broadened to include two new elements, namely education on litter and LA backed health walks. The latter has enabled people to enjoy our rural pathways, which are now regularly litter-picked, and at the same time build up their stamina in walking for health. In 2011, through fundraising, we were able to purchase two community notice boards to further publicise local events and amenities and our aims. We were very grateful to Groundwork Merseyside for installing them. It continues to be very satisfying to see people reading the notices displayed there and to see some new helpers on our litter-picks and new walkers on our health walks as a result. Both noticeboards were renovated this year, 2018 with help from a grant from Cronton Parish Council, for which we thank them. Our LA, Knowsley MBC, has always been supportive but In recent years, due to funding cuts to LAs we have had reduced contact with them, although they continue to help us by removing the bags of litter we collect on our biannual litter picks. We forged links with one of our neighbouring LAs, Halton, with a view to liaising on littering of our border areas. They provided us with litter-pickers and bags. This has made a big difference to our effectiveness. Updated 24.3.2018

CUDS was formed primarily to litter pick around our town and its environs. We do so about 4 times a month for 2 hours each time and then have a cup of tea and the all-important biscuits. We also strip useless bits of turf off areas, dig over, plant bulbs and sow wildflower seeds which we maintain on 2 roundabouts and various other places. At present we have about 28 members. We are not a charity - we are funded by grants for which I apply and have back-up from Dervizes Town Council's Park and Open Spaces team when we can't shift all the stuff we have collected ourselves. When we started over 3 years ago, we were viewed with some suspicion - as in 'Are you all doing Community Payback?' and so forth - interesting to think that a great group of oldies would be doing that! Now, in our bright blue hivis vests emblazed with CUDS on the back, nearly everybody knows who we are - and if they don't, they must have been asleep. We work with local groups - Beavers, the Canoe Club, The Lions at their Fair and recently with The Fulltone Orchestra at their free event in the Market Place. We are also planning our reward - apart from cake, which we have before our summer and Christmas breaks. This time we are going on a day out to visit various gardens in Somerset - it's great to be sociable and many have made firm friends within our group.

One of the Mendip Society's aims is to care for the Mendip Hills. The beauty of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is being compromised by the rubbish left behind by it's thousands of visitors (and residents too!) This group of members is starting to wage a war on litter, joining up with other groups whenever we can.