LitterForce in action as charities launch recruitment drive

Manchester litter pick celebrates partnership

03/06/19

Veterans and the Canada Street/New Street residents came together to celebrate the launch of LitterForce, a partnership between Keep Britain Tidy and Walking With The Wounded, to encourage ex-service personnel to take a leadership role in bringing together communities to clean up their area.

The event, in partnership with Manchester City Council, saw a clean-up followed by an Active Streets session.

The council also encouraged residents to get rid of their bulky waste in a skip that was on site during the day.

The LitterForce pilot project will see Keep Britain Tidy working with Walking With The Wounded and veterans, providing them with supported volunteering opportunities in the communities where they live.

Using skills developed in the military – planning, co-ordination and communication – the ambition for this LitterForce is that they will work with businesses, councils and communities to organise and manage litter picks in those communities, creating a better environment for everyone.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said:

“Following on from the success of this year’s Great British Spring Clean, which saw more than half a million people taking part, we know that there are hundreds of thousands of people out there who are willing to take action to clean up the environment on their doorstep.

“We are delighted to be working with Walking With The Wounded and Manchester City Council and, with their support and that of the LitterForce, this movement will be unstoppable.”

 

Walking With The Wounded Director of Fundraising Andrew Cook said:

“Key to the success of LitterForce is collaboration and providing opportunities for veterans and their families to engage with their local communities and have a positive impact on the environmental and veterans’ employment while also supporting our beneficiaries’ broader health and well-being. 

“The Litter Force partnership developed between Walking With The Wounded and Keep Britain Tidy will provide a route that will promote volunteering, engagement and potential employment pathways.”

 

Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, said:

"We’re really proud to have worked with Manchester residents and our partners Keep Britain Tidy and Walking with the Wounded to help the LitterForce project, which has the twin benefits of creating a cleaner neighbourhood, while also demonstrating how volunteering increases cohesion and creates real bonds within local communities.”