National campaign the Great Plastic Pick Up came to Hillmorton over the weekend as volunteers from McDonalds, the Hillmorton 22nd Scout Group and Hillmorton’s elected representatives joined forces to pick litter around the Bluebell Wood.
Meeting at the 22nd Scout Group’s hut on The Kent, the group included local MP Mark Pawsey, Hillmorton County Councillor Yousef Dahmash and Hillmorton Borough Councillors Kathryn Lawrence and Ian Picker. Before heading out there was a briefing session for the young Beavers about dangerous types of litter, such as broken glass or dog mess, which they would need to let the responsible adults clean up!
The event was organised as part of a campaign run by Keep Britain Tidy and the Daily Mail to tackle the scourge of plastic litter. Across the country, more than 12,000 people took part over the weekend and in Hillmorton the volunteers collected over a dozen bags of litter from the roadside and the Bluebell Woods.
Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby, commented:
“I am always delighted to join volunteers to help keep our local green spaces clean. This was a great opportunity to clean up the valuable green space of Bluebell Woods, but also to help instil a sense of civic responsibility in the next generation and I was really impressed with how enthusiastic the youngsters of the 22nd Hillmorton Beavers were to help keep their area clean and tidy.”
Glyn Pashley, McDonald’s franchisee for the Rugby restaurants said:
“We were delighted to take part in this litter pick event as we aim to embrace every opportunity to work with our community partners to help improve the environment on our doorstep. As a company we aim to inspire people to eliminate litter now and for future generations.”
Debbie Campbell, of the Hillmorton 22nd Scout Group added:
“Through the Scouts mission young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to society. While the Beavers had a great afternoon they were able to achieve this with much enthusiasm.”
County Councillor for Hillmorton, Yousef Dahmash, concluded:
“The Borough Councillors, Kathryn Lawrence, David Cranham & Ian Picker, along with myself, regularly organise community litter picks throughout Hillmorton and it was a pleasure to join both the Scouts & staff from McDonalds this time. If anyone wants to join us then please get in touch and we’ll make sure to let you know when we are out – we can even provide the right kit to get stuck in!”