Northants Litter Wombles celebrate a successful 2023 and going into the new year with 3,600 members

The Northants Litter Wombles have reflected on a successful 2023 and celebrate the fact they are entering the new year with 3,600 members.

Alison McClean, events coordinator, spoke to this newspaper to share their highlights of the past 12 months.

“The best thing is welcoming so many volunteers,” said Alison. “We have 3,600 members which is great. Being part of our inspirational group is so much more than just litter picking.”

Not only do the group members make a difference, but they form friendships and nurture their mental health and wellbeing – all while helping the environment and wildlife.

Alison also spoke proudly of the group’s CLEAN education programme – which stands for ‘Creating Litter Education and Awareness in Northamptonshire’.

The Litter Wombles have visited 65 schools this year and delivered their free 30-minute interactive presentations to 17,000 students across the county.

The events coordinator said: “The kids really love it and are so engaged. We take them out on litter picks afterwards.”

The CLEAN education programme visits can be booked on the Northants Litter Wombles’ website.

Alison says they are such a “respected organisation” that they have built successful working relationships with the local authorities, MPs and Veolia – who they want to thank for collecting their purple bags of rubbish.

The founder of the group, Nicola Elliott, proudly accepted a BBC Make a Difference Award earlier in the year and the group had two successful Parliament visits in June and October.

It was these visits that made them aware of funding streams available for CCTV and extra bins, which they are hopeful to implement across the county in 2024.

Anti-littering messaging on signs around Northampton and their pop-up bin experiment were also successes, with the latter helping to inform the council about where to install bins.

The Northants Litter Wombles have continued to work with college and university students, as well as having held more than 30 organised picks with businesses and companies.

When asked what message people have taken away from the group, Alison said: “They’re amazed by the amount of litter around and the amount of work we do.

“They love seeing the Litter Wombles and giving us a wave. People appreciate what we do.”

500 new members have joined the group this year, and it is willing volunteers that keep them going from strength to strength.

Though prompt bag collection and tackling fly tips have been the group’s biggest challenges this year, they understand the pressures the local authorities face and work well with them.

“We want to say a massive thank you to everybody who supports us,” said Alison, whether that be those who take part in litter picking or those who support on social media.

She continued: “Thank you for being more responsible about disposing of rubbish. We’ve had a massive amount of support from the general public, schools and organisations, it’s really great.”

Looking to 2024, the group hopes to expand its education programme, introduce more bins across the county, and see more CCTV installed to tackle fly tipping and antisocial behaviour – particularly at Sixfields Reservoir.

For more information and to get involved, visit the Northants Litter Wombles’ Facebook page here.