Caring for Creation through 1000 litter picks!

Hello everyone - my name is Keith. I am a retired biology teacher and have become increasingly concerned by the threats to Nature from human activities. Littering is just one of many factors that reduce the number and variety of wildlife species. A clean environment is not only good for Nature but also has a positive influence on people's mental wellbeing.

A litter pick is a practical way of caring for Nature and the environment. I must explain that I started this venture during the first lockdown in March 2020 and have kept going ever since. Each litter pick covers a 3-mile circuit of rural lanes near where I live in Greater Manchester. My aim is to complete 1,000 circuits totalling 3,000 miles before my 85th Birthday on 1st November 2023. With a litter picker in one hand and a bag in the other, it takes on average two and a half hours to walk three miles.

I first started litter picking in 2014 with a community group initiated by St. Peter's Church, Hale, Greater Manchester. Since March 2020 I have concentrated my efforts on tidying up some of the beautiful lanes that pass through threatened greenbelt land. For 23 years I was one of the many motorists using these lanes as an alternative route to and from the City of Manchester or Manchester Airport, avoiding busy stretches of the M56 motorway. Sadly, littering and fly-tipping are constant threats to the environment and to wildlife.

Responses to the tidy-up by members of the public have been overwhelmingly positive. Friends in nearby Davenport Green initiated a banner campaign in support of my efforts in November 2020 and again in November 2022. It is estimated that the first campaign resulted in a 25% reduction in litter in the year following the display of banners.

In 2022, I walked more than 770 miles collecting 1,400 Kg of litter, enough to fill 284 large bin bags with an average of 4.9Kg of litter per bag! This rubbish included over 11,250 cigarette stubs, most of which had been thrown from vehicles during the six months from 16 Jan-15 July!

I must admit that I have only recently decided to raise some funds online, using the services of Just Giving to share my story. As I write, we are now into January 2023 and with 200 litter picks and 600 miles still to go by 1st November, I have set myself the target of raising £3,000.

A huge number of organisations and charities are responding to the global call to bring positive change to people and the planet. In this cause, three charities are close to my heart: St Peter's Church, Hale; Friends of the Earth, and SolarAid. Whatever amount is raised, each will be given one third of the total.

Thank you very much for reading this and for any donation you are able to make.