Volunteers in Thakeham village were assisted by Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert this weekend on a litter picking mission as part of the ‘Clean for the Queen’ campaign.

Mr Herbert joined the cleaning team of parish councillors and local residents at Thakeham Village Hall on Saturday morning (5 March). ‘Clean for The Queen’ is a nationwide campaign to clear up Britain in time for Her Majesty the Queen's 90th birthday, which will be officially celebrated in June 2016.

The campaign is just one way in which people can show their dedication to The Queen and pride in their local community. Litter is a growing problem with food packaging, plastic bottles, takeaway meals and cigarette butts contributing to a menace that affects wildlife, streets, and countryside.

Distinctive purple, branded bin bags were issued for the clean up weekend, with many of the bags being filled to the top by the end of the litter picking session.

The Thakeham village litter pick was organised by the Parish Council, led by Cllr Norman Prince, and volunteers included the St Clair family, Caroline and John Instance, Fiona McConnachie and Dave MacEachern.

Mr Prince said: “The volunteer team did a great job. It’s a job that unfortunately needs doing every year, and we really appreciated the extra support for this event from Nick Herbert, the Horsham Street Scene and the ‘Clean for the Queen’ scheme.”

Nick Herbert said: “I think 'Clean for the Queen' is a great initiative and I was really pleased to join members of Thakeham Parish Council and other volunteers to help them pick up litter on the local roads.

"The amount of litter we collected from the verges was, frankly, appalling and most of it was fizzy drink bottles, crisp packets and fast food cartons. Doubtless it's a minority who are throwing their rubbish out of their car windows but it remains selfish and unnecessary behaviour.

"I have long supported tougher action to tackle the scourge of litter, through a combination of education in schools, greater corporate social responsibility on the part of the companies which sell these products, and fiercer penalties for litterbugs.

"The disgusting job of picking up this litter shouldn't fall to volunteers, but all credit to them for taking pride in their communities. I hope that more people will support 'Clean for the Queen' and other litter picking initiatives in our villages".

ENDS

Notes

1. Photograph – Nick Herbert MP with Thakeham’s parish council and volunteers.

2. To read more about ‘Clean for the Queen’ see www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk or follow the campaign on Twitter #cleanforthequeen.

MP supports 'Clean for the Queen' litter pick in Thakeham