BBC R4 Appeal - Protect our Wildlife from Litter

It’s been a difficult year for everyone and our environment has suffered too, from a rising tide of litter and fly-tipping. But right now, tackling issues like the ever-increasing tide of plastic in our oceans, the endlessly growing mountains of waste and the climate emergency can all seem too great a challenge for us as individuals when we are all dealing with so much.

This is where Keep Britain Tidy can make a difference. From our Great British Spring Clean campaign, which encourages and supports more than half a million volunteers to clear up the litter pollution that blights our streets, parks and beaches, to our Eco-schools programme that gives children and young people the knowledge and skills to take action in their local environment, our work helps people to DO SOMETHING POSITIVE.

Through our campaigns and programmes, we want everyone to feel like they have a role to play and to show them that they can love where they live and help them to do just that.

However, all our work takes time and money. This year has been particularly hard for charities and we are no different, so we were delighted when we found out we had been selected to be on the BBC Radio 4 Appeal on January 3rd.

This appeal is an opportunity for us to shine a light on our work with the help of our Ambassador, naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham CBE.

Chris will be voicing our appeal on January 3rd, focussing on the harm litter does to animals. Research shows that around four million small mammals - shrews and mice that are essential members of our ecosystems, die every year imprisoned in littered bottles and cans. And we have all seen the heartbreaking images of animals like hedgehogs, seals and turtles caught up in and injured by litter.

That’s why we will be asking everyone who wants to see an end to the litter pollution that blights our environment and does unimaginable harm to our wildlife and marine life to donate to Keep Britain Tidy from January 3rd to January 9th via the BBC Radio 4 website.