Chaucer Impact Community

a mixed group of people clearing the area around Hounslow Gurdwara

Mum, teenage son & daughter, daughters boyfriend, Grandad and Olive the dog - fed up of running, cycling, walking, fishing and seeing lazy people’s rubbish thrown in the hedges and verges of our lovely countryside - trying to make a difference, teach good standards and promote looking after our world.

I have been litter picking my local area and would love to encourage and help other people to take simular direct action to this blight.

A voluntary group helping to keep Poldhu Beach as nature intended. We organise regular beach cleaning sessions, work with the National Trust to mantain and improve the environs whilst ensuring conservation is our watch word.

The aim of this group is to keep our estate and its adjoining green spaces clear of litter. I collect on a regular basis and would love to be supported by other like minded people.

This group is for anybody interested in Litter Picking in the Kingfisher Country Park and surrounding areas of East Birmingham.

Formed by residents of Stanton Harcourt and Sutton with support from the parish council, we litter pick on the second Saturday or each month (to coincide with the Village Market) with an annual event encouraging widespread participation in March.

My daughter came up with the idea as it is something we already did as a family. A bit like park run is the idea. Once a week we meet up for a good walk picking up litter and meet new people in our community.

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.

We're a group of local people who want to make a difference to the look of the area....and make us proud to live here. We do litter picks, tidy up communal garden areas and generally anything to help make the place nicer for all!!!