Community come together for litter pick

When Wiltshire Waste contractors Idverde invited Laverstock & Ford Parish Council
to join in with their 'Big Spring Clean’, this litter-conscious parish already had two
‘litter womble groups’ in action doing their best to keep areas of the parish litter-
free, so instead, they invited Abri Housing and Selwood Housing to join forces and
hold a special ‘Litter-Pick-Me-Up’ event on April 26th, which Idverde provided the
equipment for and arranged to take away any litter collected.

Thanks to Bams Café in Longhedge, all litter pickers on the day of the event were
treated to a well-earned breakfast bap and a hot drink. Twelve bags of litter were
collected and added to the eight bags collected by the Old Sarum and Longhedge
Wombles on the previous Saturday.

Joining in with the event were Abri’s Community Safety Team, and also popping by were PCSO’s Moss and Taylor, who made Knnox’s day by stopping for a photo. Jessica Tarrant, a Community Deveopment Officer for Abri commented, "Knnox’s mum Gemma, is helping us to set-up the Community Pantry at Old Sarum Community Centre, which she was previously running from her home, it’s especially lovely to be able to treat such community-minded people, whilst working to clean-up the local area.”

Also joining the event were residents, parish footpath wardens, parish councillor Kevin Lynn, and even a guest from the Salisbury Clean Up group.

The Litter-Pick-Me-Up is part of a bigger event, so look out for a ‘Coronation Clean-up Quiz & Litter Trail’ launching on Saturday, May 13, at Bams Café in Longhedge.

It is aimed at families around the area, with prizes provided by Selwood Housing. Entry forms and a map will be available from Bams, and the Litter Trail clues will be found on litter bins and fences around Old Sarum and Longhedge.

1st prize will be a £50 ‘I Love to Shop’ voucher, and there will be two runner-up prizes of a £20 voucher for Bams Café.

Kirsty Newton, Selwood Housings Neighbourhood Manager, notes that during February and March, litter seemed to accumulate quite quickly and that “it’s been great to tackle this in a fun and community-spirited way. Bams Café have been very supportive, and we look forward to more such events in the future”.

Kevin Lynn, a Parish Councillor for Old Sarum and Longhedge ward, says “We are
lucky that in this area, we have so many young families who take it upon themselves
to keep the estates clean and litter free. In Longhedge, where the new housing is still
being built, rubbish can easily accumulate, and this is a great way to remind people
to bin their rubbish, not dump it.”

Cllr Cindy Vanstone added, "We’re grateful to both Abri Housing and Selwood Housing for working with us and to the Community Police for popping by to support the event and talk to residents. We hope residents will enjoy trying out the Litter Trail and collecting any rubbish as they go”.