Clean Up Yorkshire: Volunteers get picking as the big clean continues

Some of the pupils at Chickenley Community School, Chickenley near Dewsbury on their litter pick.

Chickenley Community School is the latest to back The Yorkshire Post’s anti-littering campaign, Clean Up Yorkshire, which is encouraging readers to hold litter picks throughout June.

The school’s Community Champions did their bit today, taking time out from lessons to tackle the rubbish hotspots near their school.

Associate deputy head, Adam Wood, said: “The kids have each been given a zone of the estate to look after - and they are already making an impact.

“The idea is that over the next few months, and even years, they will see what a difference their actions have on the community they live in.”

Elsewhere, members of the Craven District of CPRE North Yorkshire turned their attention to Skipton and the canal running through the town centre for the Clean Up Yorkshire campaign.

Volunteers collected drinks cans, fast food boxes, carrier bags, packaging and even old socks.

CPRE North Yorkshire chair Jules Marley said: “The plastic rings that hold six packs together can become caught around beaks and webbed feet and the result is disastrous for wildlife - the swans were very grateful.”

CPRE members held a litter pick in Skipton on Sunday.
Pictured:

Bruce McLeod and Naomi Wallace — CPRE members held a litter pick in Skipton on Sunday. Pictured: Bruce McLeod and Naomi Wallace

As well as encouraging larger litter picks, we are want to finish our month of campaign by making a big difference, clearing millions of pieces of litter from our streets.

On Tuesday we want everyone to pick up just one piece of litter - and the Campaign to Protect Rural England estimate that if everyone in the region who is able to picks up a bit of rubbish, then 2.5m pieces would be collected in one day alone. If you get involved, tweet with the hashtags #pickupapieceday and #CleanUpYorks.