Hailsham Residents Encouraged to Take Part in National Litter-Picking Campaign

Town councillors are calling on residents in Hailsham to show pride in their town by taking part in Keep Britain Tidy’s ‘Great British Spring Clean’ campaign, which runs from 21st March to 6th April.

Hailsham Town Council is encouraging residents to help the charity clean up the places and spaces everyone cares about, by either pledging help as an individual, group or school. You can sign up here.

“Litter in the town not only looks untidy, it can be considerably detrimental to wildlife and costs money to clean as well”, said town councillor Mary Laxton. “Keeping our town tidy and litter-free is a responsibility we all have, whether you are a resident, a worker or a visitor. Additionally, the discarding of cigarette ends around the community needs to stop to prevent the damage they cause to wildlife in water courses and on the pavements!”

“The Town Council currently employs a full-time Environment Warden who is responsible for the removal of litter on land maintained by us, including Hailsham Country Park, Common Pond, recreation grounds, children’s play areas, public open spaces and Hailsham Cemetery. Our litter-picker does an impeccable job keeping the Town Council’s public open spaces clean and tidy, as do other authorities operating in the town, removing litter from our roads, pavements, footpaths and housing estates.”

“Nevertheless, littering is still an issue in the town and one that can be difficult to manage – if we don’t all do our bit! We encourage residents to take part in Keep Britain Tidy’s forthcoming Great British Spring Clean by pledging support via their website.”

“During and beyond this campaign, we urge residents to keep Hailsham clean by putting rubbish in bins or taking it home with them, instead of littering. By doing so and getting involved by becoming litter-aware and taking preventative action, we can all take pride in our town.”

Cllr Laxton added: “There are many ways you can keep our town clean and supplement the excellent services provided by employed litter pickers. Some volunteer-led groups operate in Hailsham and run litter-picking programmes for residents and community groups, all of which we are grateful to for their continued support and interest in protecting the environment and local wildlife. Such groups are always on the lookout for additional volunteers who are willing to boost pride in our town.”

“Litter-picking is an easy and fun way to remain active, improve your wellbeing, chat to others at the same time and take care of the environment on your doorstep. We hope that by increasing awareness of the issues surrounding littering in Hailsham, and working together, we can keep our town beautiful.”

The Mayor of Hailsham , Cllr Paul Holbrook, has praised the ‘amazing job’ being undertaken by volunteer litter pickers who are trying to keep the town tidy, not just during previous Great British Spring Clean campaigns, but on an all-year round basis.

Cllr Holbrook commented: “The various teams of volunteer community litter pickers work incredibly hard to keep Hailsham as clean as possible. They have done a sterling to date, and it goes without saying that the litter picks they undertake are often big jobs and there is a lot to keep on top of.”

“In Hailsham, we have a handful of volunteer groups that are dedicated to picking up litter and I’m grateful to them too for their continued support and interest in protecting the environment and local wildlife.”

“Many individuals take on a community role in their spare time and partake in voluntary activities in our amazing town. By doing this, they help improve Hailsham for everyone, both residents and visitors to the town. We have a strong tradition of volunteering and community activism here and the work of the many local volunteer litter-pickers is a perfect example of this community spirit which we should all be proud of.”

“We hope as many residents as possible join forces and take part in this year’s Great British Spring Clean initiative.”

Wealden Wombles is a volunteer-led group of litter pickers operating in Hailsham. The group advertises all scheduled litter-picks on its Facebook page and new volunteers are always welcome.