Litterpickers undeterred by ‘The Beast from the East’

IN spite of the freezing weather in Thame over the weekend, nearly 70 people turned out to clear litter from the town on Saturday, March 17, and dozens of Moreton residents for the parallel, Muck Out Moreton.

Residents of Moreton in the parish of Thame, inspect the huge amount of rubbish they collected during Much Out Moreton 2018

Organiser of Thame Tidy, Rosemary Bryant, said: “The phoenix trail and the approaches to the town were in a particularly bad way and the volunteers did a fantastic job of making it look ‘spick and span’. ASM were a great help driving around picking up the bags and the Thame and District Lions club did a fine job all day, handing out litter pickers, maps and bags to everyone who turned up.

“A lot of the litter is what is blown around from bins but most of it was litter dumped by inconsiderate people who just don’t respect where they live.”

SUSTRANS’ Greener Greenways group were out in force on the Phoenix Trail on Saturday, one of them skillfully scything the long grass in the snow! Watch the video HERE. A spokesperson for the group explained: “As well as litter picking we undertook a little meadow management, cutting the grass, raking up the arisings and sowing some wildflower seed.” The sustainable transport charity is planning on re-igniting the Phoenix Trail volunteer group to carry out regular litter picks and conservation work along the trail, so if you love your local route, watch out for opportunities to get involved.

Volunteer, Helen Fisher, posted on social media: “Really great to see the Phoenix Trail in Thame looking so much better after great litter picking by the hardiest of volunteers on Saturday. This photo doesn’t capture horizontal snow – what doesn’t kill you makes your stronger! Good day, thank you.”

A group from Cornerstones Church in Thame, were due to go out on the following day, Sunday, to contribute to the great tidy up in the town too.

Rosemary Bryant summed up the spirit of all those who were involved with Thame Tidy Day, when she posted on the Thame Tidy 2018 facebook page: “When a community comes together for the good of everyone, you know you live somewhere special.”