21 August 2008: Lewes unsung heroes make the score a century

Media: 1039

A team of South Malling volunteer litter-pickers has become the 100th group to join LitterAction.org.uk, the national initiative linked with author Bill Bryson and his recent campaigning on litter and fly-tipping.

Inspired by another local group, Lewes Little Gardens, Chris Burt joined the website http://www.litteraction.org.uk/ with his group “Malling Litter Pickers”, taking the website’s group membership to a century.

Thousands of unsung heroes across the UK give up their free time to pick up other people’s rubbish. Formed by charities the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and CleanupUK, http://www.litteraction.org.uk/ provides all the advice and information that a group needs in order to operate and, at no cost to them, run its own web page of news and events. In addition, new volunteers can find their nearest group or even start their own and contribute ideas and suggestions to the online forum.

Chris and his group of about 8 meet regularly on a Sunday morning and, with their equipment supplied by Lewes District Council, they head off for a morning of tidying.  The Council then pick up all rubbish collected at an arranged venue the next morning.

Chris Burt said “I have lived in Lewes for 30 years and the eye-sore of rubbish was really getting me down.  Instead of moaning about it any longer I decided I would try and do something positive. At first we collected all sorts of rubbish, but now it’s more about dropped or wind-blown litter with the odd nappy or two!  

“We have come to realise that the benefits are two-fold - firstly, the area where we live is cleaner and secondly, we feel a stronger sense of community”.

Andy Bryce, Head of Waste and Recycling services at Lewes District Council said “We spend an awful lot of time, effort and money trying our best to cover all the areas across the 113 square miles of Lewes District to keep our area as clean and tidy as we are able.  We applaud the effort put in by these unsung heroes who give up their time and physically work hard to help achieve our shared goals.  We are happy to support our local volunteers and say “thank you” to all of them”.

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For further information please contact:

George Monck, CleanupUK - 077 9669 1220
Andy Bryce, Lewes District Council - 01273 471600
Katy Morrison, Dingle Solutions PR - 07973 791297

Notes to Editors:

1. http://www.litteraction.org.uk/ went live in April 2008.  It was built by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and CleanupUK.

2. CleanupUK is a charity dedicated to supporting the work of volunteer litter collecting groups and individuals around the UK and to encouraging the formation of new volunteer groups. http://www.cleanupuk.org.uk/

3. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquility and diversity of rural England. It advocates positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, CPRE has 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. http://www.cpre.org.uk/.

4. It costs taxpayers in excess of £500m annually to clear the streets of England, and that doesn’t include parks or other public spaces.

5. Further statistics can be obtained from George Monck or Katy Morrison (see contact number above)

Media enquiries: Liz Lacon, Communications Manager