Community volunteer Saleh Uddin Talukdar has been named as one of four finalists in the Environmental category of the BBC ‘Make A Difference Awards’ after years of leading litter-picking campaigns across Oldham.
Talukdar, 42, will attend the awards ceremony in mid-September in Leigh Sports Village, Wigan.
The BBC accolade is presented to an individual or group of people who help to make the UK environmentally friendly and better for nature.
After coming to Britain in 2009, he took up litter picking with two friends. He said he is now joined by up to 50 community-minded people in his regular litter picks.
Supporters say he is well known in the community for litter picking and his work with a local newspaper.
He said he is “very community-minded” and he “loves his community.” Talukdar uses social media to engage and encourage people.
The Bengali-language poet, who has more than 11,000 Facebook followers, said: “I want the community to be recognised. I want environmental issues to be discussed.
“We go door to door and educate people. It’s not just my area with a problem but other areas of Oldham too.”
He added that littering is linked to issues such as overcrowding.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me. I want to build a movement and a team. We should all be concerned about the environment,” he said. “I want every individual and every organisation to campaign against fly tipping and littering.”
Talukdar is a litter picking ambassador and has recently established the Good Deed Circles group to promote litter picking and positive things for his community.
They are organising The Great Get Together and Community Litter Picking event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Jo Cox Foundation on 19-21 June.
“Our focus is on Oldham as a whole; we have litter picked in Royton and Chadderton. We have even collaborated with a mosque, and we will continue to organise litter picking in different parts of Oldham,” he added.
Talukdar met Ruth Major 10 years ago when they collaborated on a project. She said: “I started my campaign in Oldham; it was called ‘One Piece of Rubbish at a Time.’
“I travel around the country now and speak to people in the hope that they will listen and join in.
“Saleh is very positive and determined. We support each other as we both do things in a different way. He works with groups, and I work individually to try and clean up the country.
“It’s wonderful that he is a finalist at the BBC awards. He deserves every bit of credit that he gets. He is very hard working as he has a job, a family and is involved with litter picking through the Good Deeds Circles initiative.”
https://m.facebook.com/SalehUddinTalukdar/
https://www.facebook.com/GoodDeedCircles
https://rubbishruthsrambles.co.uk
Andrew Maufe
That's a wonderful service for the environment and the community.