Stroud District Council’s Champion for Litter and Clean Environment, Cllr Gill Thomas, known for her numerous rubbish-clearing activities in the Stroud area, is embarking on a 22 mile, all-night litter pick, writes Sue Fenton.
She aims to raise £10,000 to buy litter pickers, books and reading sessions for 45 local primary schools.
The walk takes place this Saturday, on the shortest night of the year. Starting at sunset, the Gill and the team will cover 22 miles from Painswick to Wotton-under-Edge, ending at sunrise.
Gill recently launched the Litter Pickers for Little Pickers scheme, which aims to buy more than 1,400 litter pickers that have been requested by local schools, benefiting more than 7,000 children.
The idea is that all primary-aged children can play a part in keeping the areas around their schools tidy. The money raised will also go towards books and reading sessions that will explain to children why litter picking is important.
The midsummer event will be the latest in a series of events that Gill has organised to raise money for the project.
On May 11th she completed a 100km bike/run litter picking challenge, when she took 14 hours to cycle to as many schools involved with the fundraiser as possible. She cycled 72km, ran 28km and litter picked 24km, and reached 16 schools in total.
Gill said afterwards: “The challenge helped to raise awareness about the growing problem of litter and provided an excellent opportunity to get out and explore the extent of the problem. I collected a lot of packaging from well-known big brands and found rubbish stuffed in hedges, wedged in benches, and strewn along road verges.
“The amount of waste we produce is utterly appalling, and our attitudes to it are even worse. Littering is not solely an environmental issue; it encourages other anti-social behaviour by making an environment appear uncared for, it affects our health and wellbeing and can lead to crime.
“Whilst litter picking isn’t the solution to the problem, it does help to promote awareness and is a brilliant form of accessible exercise that everyone can join in with. The solution starts with education, and it’s been heartwarming to witness the incredible enthusiasm shown by schools and their pupils.”
She added: “Encouraging children into the habit of picking up litter from an early age helps to develop long term behaviour change. It’s about getting the message across that we all have a responsibility to dispose of our waste correctly, and that looking after our environment is a community effort.”
If anyone would like to join Gill and her team of walkers on the walk, please get in touch using the details below. Gill is also looking for businesses to sponsor the campaign: “I’ve already had a few local firms contribute, but I’d be so grateful for any corporate sponsors who want to get on board.
“It will be a good addition to their corporate social responsibilities.”
For more information about Gill’s campaign or to donate:
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/litterpickersforlittlepickers
or send an email to cllr.gill.thomas@stroud.gov.uk
