The toddlers are in town

Laura has been in the area for 3 years and has always been committed to volunteering in her local community, wherever that might be. When she had children, imparting the importance of giving back was extremely important to her. In November 2019, Laura spotted another litter picker with a child wearing a CleanupUK High-Visibility jacket. She contacted us for some help with getting started and her group was born.   

Litter picking felt like an easy win for Laura. It’s a relatively straightforward thing to set up and with the help of CleanupUK and our litter picking toolkit she was able to connect to her local council and get going.

“The CleanupUK toolkit gave me good foundational knowledge for setting up my group. Litter picking was new to me, but I got everything I needed to help set up my group”

Laura has made a nice group of friends through litter picking, and it’s been a great way to connect with other people in the local area. The group is also there to help people who might want to see some friendly faces or catch up with one another. It’s something that people keep in their diaries now. Laura has about 20 families involved and hopes that it has helped people create new friendships with one another.

“It’s a great way to educate the little ones about the environment and they love it – it’s like a treasure hunt for them! Litter-picking is also a fantastic way to teach children about social responsibility, and they have a great time making friends and playing. I don’t know why people wouldn’t want to join in.”

The Wood Street Litter Legends collect on average 3 large bin bags in an hour, covering a playpark that can be quite littered. Over the course of the group, Laura has been able to see the children grow. One member started litter picking, with parental support, when in a baby carrier and is now litter picking on their own. Laura hopes they can continue litter-picking and that the group will grow organically.

Mum of fellow litter-pickers Lottie Gilchrist says:

"When Laura talked about the project, I knew I wanted to be involved straight away. I am hugely grateful to the community we have created among us, as a network of families with small children, and our sense of pride in our community extends past our front door and into the wider environment."