Minchinhampton Common litter pick this weekend

Volunteers who want to help rid Minchinhampton Common of rubbish will be provided with everything they need to get it looking great, on Saturday, March 24.

Stroud District Council’s neighbourhood warden Pete Tiley has arranged the event to highlight two issues – dog fouling and litter.

“People might be surprised to hear there are litter problems in Amberley and Minchinhampton,” said Pete.

“However feedback from residents is that dog fouling and litter are the two issues that not only spoil the natural beauty of Minchinhampton Common but also pose a threat to the cows that live there for part of the year.”

Cows graze on Minchinhampton Common between May and October and their grazing is essential in maintaining the grassland which makes the common a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Both dog faeces and litter can be fatal for the cows and calves if ingested.

Minchinhampton parish councillors Jennifer Molyneux (Amberley) and Pippa Schwarz (Minchinhampton South) will each lead a group – one around Amberley and the other in Minchinhampton town centre, meeting on the common that stretches between the two.

“We’re hoping for lots of willing hands to give us a couple of hours of their time to clean up our lovely town and village,” said Cllr Schwartz “Many thanks to our neighbourhood warden Pete and his colleagues for stepping into help organise this.”

The local primary schools, Brownie and Scout groups have also been invited to take part.

There’s no need to book and volunteers can either meet at Amberley War memorial or the car park at the end of Bell Lane, Minchinhampton at 10am. The litter picking will continue until 2pm.

Equipment including litter picks, gloves, bin bags and reflective vests will be provided but suitable clothing and stout footwear should be worn.

If you would like to organise your own community spring clean, resources are available on the Keep Britain Tidy website – www.keepbritaintidy.org/gbspringclean.