Wade Hall Litter Pick Heroes

One of our tenant families is leading the way in making their Leyland neighbourhood a cleaner place.

April formed Wade Hall Litter Pick Heroes with her husband, Mark, and 3 children, Paige, 18, Oliver, 14, and eight-year-old Stephen at the end of last year. They began clearing rubbish on the estate, enlisting 3 others and now their group has grown to more than 30. People of all ages are joining in, with the youngest being just 4 years old.

April, who has lived in Wade Hall for 8 years, says: “I have always wanted to be part of a community. We spotted lots of litter and thought we would do a litter pick to get the community together and get to know people in the area.

“We do it as a family and is great as it gets the children off their devices and talking. They tell me how proud they are and they want to make where we are living a better place. It has also helped to increase their confidence as they are talking to people. You can see the difference in the area, as it looks much better.”

April has been working with Wade Hall Community Association, Seven Stars Primary School and Leyland URC Scout Group to raise awareness and encourage children to get involved. She even organised a colouring competition to help design their logo. Seven Stars pupil Aurelia, aged 10, was the winner, earning herself a £25 cinema voucher, supplied by Progress Housing Group.

April adds: “My son, Stephen, named the group and we decided we needed a logo. We found a picture and thought we would ask primary school children to colour it. Progress Housing Group provided a £25 cinema voucher, which was lovely, and Tesco donated some treats for the second prize.”

Sam Beattie, Customer Voice Officer, said: “We are always striving to improve our neighbourhoods and welcome the work of any volunteers who help to do that. So we were happy to support the Litter Pick Heroes and help celebrate their excellent work in the community.

“As part of our social value work, we provided a £25 cinema voucher to the winner of the colouring competition.

“Well done to everyone involved in keeping Wade Hall tidy and congratulations to Aurelia who created a fantastic entry – Litter Picking Lucy.”

• April and her Wade Hall Litter Pick Heroes will continue to hold fortnightly litter picks round the estate, starting from The Place, in Royal Avenue.