Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Town Council is backing Keep Britain Tidy’s million-mile mission to clean up the country by joining the nationwide Great British Spring Clean this month – and residents can get involved.
The Town Council has this week announced that it is pledging its backing to Keep Britain Tidy’s annual campaign – and it is encouraging Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge residents to do their bit and clear up litter that can blight local places.
The Great British Spring Clean campaign runs from 28th May to 13 June and calls on the public to help the charity achieve a million miles of litter-picking across the UK.
This year’s campaign comes as the charity has reported a massive increase in the number of people who have started litter-picking during the past year’s lockdowns.
It has seen the number of ‘Litter Heroes’ grow by a third in less than 12 months.
If you would like to volunteer to the local litter pick, click here to get signed up – all volunteers must register for inclusion in the Town Council’s organised litter picks. Sign up by 12 noon on Wednesday (May 26th).
Please do not turn up without being registered because there will not be enough kit for you to use, says the council.
There are three different days with three different times to join the litter picks – you can choose the best to suit you:
- Friday 28th May, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
- Wednesday 2nd June, 2pm – 4pm
- Saturday 5th June, 10am – 12pm
A Town Council spokesperson says: “All equipment and hi-viz tabards will be provided by the Town Council. For safety reasons the organisers agreed that no-one under 18 can register this year as most of the areas to be litter picked will be on the highway,”
“We very much want to work with our young people and this decision will be reviewed in future years.”
“All local schools will be notified of the Great British Spring Clean and they might wish to organise something with in their own locality. The Town Council will be happy to offer its support by supplying of all necessary equipment.”
Sign up here. Also, if there is an area where you would like to see included in the litter picks? If so please email this to the council at info@burnham-highbridge-tc.gov.uk
The Great British Spring Clean, now in its sixth year, brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment on our doorstep. In 2019, more than half a million Litter Heroes collected just under a million bags of litter, weighing around 4,308 tons.
Supporter and participant town councillor Chris Allen adds: “Litter is a blight on our environment, but with our communities helping to clean our streets and green spaces we can make our towns a better place for people and help improve habitats for wildlife.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Allison Ogden-Newton says: “The Great British Spring Clean would not be possible without the support of local authorities, including Burnham and Highbridge Town Council. We have all spent a lot more time in our local area in the past year and have come to realise just how important our local park or green space is for our mental and physical health.”
“We need to care for these spaces and the Great British Spring Clean is an opportunity for everyone to take a small action that, collectively, can make a big difference.”
“Whether you commit to do five minutes or five hours, every single pledge will help us reach our million-mile target and clear many tonnes of litter pollution from our environment.”