A COMMUNITY group is continuing to make a difference in keeping three areas in and around Saddleworth tidy and free of litter.
LSG Litter Heroes covers Lees, Springhead and Grotton, with residents going out on a monthly basis between March and November to clean up the areas they live.
The group, which currently has more than 130 members on Facebook, has collected a significant amount of rubbish since forming two years ago.
It was set up by Sarah Hutchings but she stepped back from running it last year.
Paul Fisher took on the mantle alongside Karen Jakeman, who is Chair of the Lees, Springhead and Grotton Business Hub.
Paul, from Lees, who joined the group around 18 months ago, told the Independent: “The group started not because there was litter as such, but because people wanted to make a difference in their area.
“The litter problem never goes away so we’re about to reboot the group again for this year and we’ve got some great ideas.
“We’ve just had a grant approved from the council through the Local Improvement Fund so we’ll have around £1,200 to spend on supplies such as new litter picks for both children and adults to use, litter hoops to hold bags up and a general drive to get more people active and to care for the area they live.
“We live in a really lovely area in Lees, Springhead and Grotton and we all need to look after it. We don’t want it to look like an eyesore.
“We try to pick key grotspots when we go out and concentrate on those areas that accumulate rubbish. We also report any fly-tipping that we see to the council.
“If we can do our bit, hopefully it will push other people in other areas to do the same too. It’s important to give young people the right message that it’s not right to throw litter on the floor.”
LSG Litter Heroes have litter picks planned for the following dates throughout 2024:
March 16 in Grotton (coincides with the Great British Spring Clean)
April 13 in Lees
May 11 in Springhead
May 25 in Grotton
June 15 in Lees
July 13 in Springhead
TBC in August: Activity mornings/afternoons at Lees Library
September 14 in Lees
October 12 in Springhead
November 3 in Grotton (the day after Grotton Bonfire)
The group is also engaging with the primary schools in the three areas to conduct their own litter picks and running a competition to create a new logo for the LSG Litter Heroes
Paul added: “We want to have a logo on our hi-vis jackets so people recognise the group so we thought the local school children could have some fun by designing one for us. We want them to feel involved and feel like they are making a difference.
“We would love for a logo to be chosen by our first litter pick so we’ve given schools until February 26 to get their entries into Lees Library.”
Anyone who wants to become part of LSG Litter Heroes can join the group on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/265755342002492
A small group of people usually join the Saturday litter picks but Paul and Karen would love for more to join. Everyone is welcome for as long as they can spend between 10am and midday.
Confirmed details for each of the individual litter picks will be shared in the group around two weeks beforehand.
People can bring their own gloves and a litter pick if they have one. If not, they will be provided, as well as bags, and the rubbish will be collected at the end.
