Late in 2020 several residents from Edwinstowe approached Parish and Newark and Sherwood District Councillor, Paul Peacock, with a view to doing something about the vast amounts of litter on the verges of roads approaching the village (the Parish Council do a fine job keeping the village litter free). Councillor Peacock agreed the work needed doing and liaised with the district council for equipment and collection of filled rubbish bags.
So, in January 2021 a group of volunteers, including Paul carried out their first pick along Mansfield Road beyond the parish boundary. In approximately one-and-a-half hours, they filled over 20 large bags.
In the two years since then, they have removed thousands of plastic bottles, vast amounts of takeaway utensils and containers, a flat screen TV, a barbeque in good condition, pedal bins, children’s toys, CDs, DVDs, and more, all could have been disposed of properly. They have filled hundreds of bags with rubbish; local residents have commented on the difference the group have made. Paul still joins them on a regular basis. The work they do is very rewarding and therapeutic. Members see a tangible difference to their surroundings after a couple of hours of work.
They decided to include local footpaths across fields and by the River Maun which are popular with walkers, discovering numerous types of litter, including used dog poo bags and yet more plastic bottles, sweet packets etc. These items can take hundreds of years to degrade and in the meantime pollute water sources and rivers.
A growing band of like-minded volunteers now help out when and where they can – sometimes three or four people can spare some time on a designated pick; sometimes eight or more people join; on a couple of occasions 12 people went out. They usually pick at least once a month – both weekends and weekdays and in the summer, on the occasional evenings for up to two hours.
In 2022 they received a donation from Edwinstowe and Dukeries Lions to buy various items of equipment to help their work.
More volunteers are always welcome. You will find planned picking dates and times on Edwinstowe Together and Edwinstowe Past and Present Facebook pages or you can contact Councillor Paul Peacock on 07956 370984 to join.