Litter picking group in Blyth on a mission to keep the town centre clean and tidy

Blyth Community Volunteers was set up in Spring 2019 after receiving government funds to set up, purchase equipment, and start tidying as part of the national Keep Britain Tidy campaign.

It is still going, organising volunteer town centre litter picks at least twice a month.

Claire Young, co-secretary of the group, said: “People care about the town. All of us are involved in other organisations as well.

“You tend to find people like us are involved in about five different things because we care about the town.

“A classic example is that patch of grass around the back of Morrisons. Nobody really knows who it belongs to, no one wants to take responsibility for it, so basically we just go and tidy it up.”

Fellow co-secretary Vivienne Morgan said: “The council does have a litter picker but it is a big job, he cannot do everything. He is just one man.”

As well as once being asked if she was on probation, Claire says the response from passers-by is generally positive.

She said: “Overwhelmingly we get people saying you are doing a good job, thank you.

“We occasionally get people saying you are wasting your time, but that is like not washing your dishes at home because you are going to use them again.”

Over the years the group has also uncovered some large items, including toilet seats, pet carriers, TV sets, and a safe. They have also previously found a knife and a crowbar.

They say they do not find much drug paraphernalia but have found lots of disposable vapes.

The group also occasionally does some “guerrilla gardening,” cutting back overgrown areas as well as collecting litter.

Claire, 65, said: “We do not do major gardening things but we get the secateurs out and we just do it.

“Like the bus station. We know we should not really do it, Arriva should be doing the bus station, but we just go and do it because we do not want people getting off the bus in town and this is their first impression.”

For Vivienne, the group is as much about making friends as it is about keeping the town clean. The 67-year-old said: “I am a newish resident to Blyth, so when I saw that they were doing this Keep Britain Tidy litter picking I thought I would join in to do something for the community.

“I was new to the area and I did not know many people so it was a good way to meet people as well.”

The group is always looking for volunteers, and people can sign up by emailing [email protected] or on Facebook. Equipment will be provided.

Claire said: “What you get from this group is you get friendship, you get fun, you get a feeling of achievement, and it is helping the environment.

“We are very happy to join forces with other people. We have done that in the past.

“We lost the plot a bit with that with Covid and everything, so we would like to work jointly with other groups.”