Countryside Clean Up a huge success

Hundreds of volunteers were out in force over the weekend (6^th and 7^th April) to take part in the Countryside Alliance's Countryside Clean Up. The weekend saw people up and down the country out litter picking in their local areas as part of organised events.

After a successful Rural Spring Clean last year, the Countryside Alliance were thrilled to become community partners of the Great British Spring Clean which runs from 22^nd March to 23^rd April. The Great British Spring Clean is the country's biggest mass-action environmental campaign and was first run in 2017. The Alliance's Countryside Clean Up event was set up in support of the initiative run by Keep Britain Tidy.

Over 50 Clean Up events were organised to take place over the weekend and the Alliance urged all of its members and supporters to get involved with the initiative. The various litter picks saw volunteers getting their hands dirty by clearing litter from footpaths, fields, river banks and roadside verges throughout the UK.

Countryside Alliance's Head of Hunting, Polly Portwin said: "We were delighted that so many countryside-lovers took part in the Countryside Clean Up to help keep their local communities tidy. Not only is discarded rubbish an eyesore, but it is potentially hazardous to farmed livestock, wild animals and domestic pets so clearing it out of harm's way was one of our primary aims.

"The feedback from those who took part has been extremely positive with some of the volunteers vowing to continue litter-clearing on a regular basis. It is great to see so many people engaging with their local communities to make such a positive impact and we want to thank them for the difference they have made. We look forward to running the same event next year."