300 VOLUNTEERS covered a distance of 100 miles in an incredible litter-picking effort throughout Cumbria.
This annual event, organised by conservation charity Friends of the Lake District, brings together schools, community groups, organisations and businesses from across Cumbria in a mass litter pick to clean up the county and to highlight the problem of littering.
The ‘Great Cumbrian Litter Pick’, which was held on May 21 and May 22, saw litter picked in Carlisle, Whitehaven, the fell tops of Catbells and Pike O’Stickle, the shores and becks of Ullswater and the streets of Grange and Cartmel.
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Included in the items collected were socks, balls, large pieces of metal, fishing line and nets, BBQs, silage bags as well as the ever-present cans, bottles and dog poo bags.
Kay Andrews, Landscape Engagement Officer said: "The Great Cumbrian Litter Pick takes place over two days, but many of the people who took part are regularly out litter picking whether that’s through a litter picking group, work, school or individually, communities are constantly tidying up after others.
"I’d like to thank everybody that got involved this year and our event sponsors the ‘European Outdoor Conservation Association’ and ‘The North Face Explore Fund’. One volunteer at Ullswater summed up the sentiment of many involved when reporting back with the results of their efforts, saying: ‘I’m just glad to give something back to the Ullswater area we know and love’.
"There are clearly no quick and easy solutions to the litter problem. The research we commissioned may guide us in communicating the issue more widely and developing ways of reducing litter more effectively in time but we are all reliant on the generosity and hard work of volunteers in this county who make an incredible difference and spread the message of ‘Leave No Trace’. I hope that one day they won’t have to," she said.
At the end of 2020, Friends of the Lake District commissioned Keep Britain Tidy to undertake research looking into why people litter and to recommend interventions that could be trialled to influence behaviour change.
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