The Litter Heroes Keeping Oldham’s Villages Clean and Green

LSG Litter Heroes is making a difference in parts of Oldham by hosting monthly litter picks.

In March this year, during the Great British Spring Clean, they collected 128 bags of rubbish – 42 of which were recycled. Many teachers and pupils got involved too.

LSG Litter Heroes has been running as a voluntary group since 2021 and includes the villages of Lees, Springhead and Grotton.

The number of volunteers has continued to grow every year since the group was formed, and they now have around 30 members. They have organised litter picks, but volunteers also regularly pick litter individually in their own areas.

The group works closely with the community, including with nurseries, schools and churches alongside Grotton Residents Association (GRA) as well as local councillors Sam Al-Hamdani, Mark Kenyon and Alicia Marland.

Karen Jakeman is the co-ordinator of LSG Litter Heroes and chair of LSG Business Hub, which supports volunteers.

“Litter Heroes started because there were a few like-minded people who wanted to make our villages cleaner and tidier,” she said: “We started off small with about seven or eight of us doing it.”

She said the volunteers are motivated by a desire to keep their villages clean and welcoming. Karen added that many people believe the council should clean up litter, but she felt environmental services were too under-resourced to keep on top of rubbish across Oldham.

“Our Litter Heroes are really making a difference, and we encourage everyone to join, or help us by putting litter in a bin or taking it home if the bins are full,” Karen said.

Edwina Rigby, who volunteers with Litter Heroes, said: “I’ve always been community focused even from childhood. It does start in childhood. I’ve always been tidy and want things to look attractive wherever I am, whether as part of a club or in my own home.

“Having a sense of community within a community means that we are happier and engage with each other and we feel like we belong. This helps with our well-being. What we do benefits everybody, including businesses, visitors and children,” she added.

The organisation visits schools to educate children about the importance of not littering and its dangers to wildlife and the environment and how everyone should be taking responsibility. LSG Litter Heroes are getting their message out across Oldham.

To join them, get in touch via their Facebook page or ask for details at Lees Library. The next litter pick will be on Saturday 8 August. Meeting at Grotton Pavilion at 2pm.