A huge thank you to Trash Free Trails for the invite to join them on Saturday for a litter pick at the base of Loughrigg Fell. Starting from Pelter Bridge car park, we headed towards Rydal Cave, collecting litter along the track — whether it had been left in plain sight, stuffed into walls, or thrown over them onto the steep, bracken-clad slopes. In total, we collected 971 items along just 2km of track, calculated at the end from the surveys we completed along the route.
Trash Free Trails is a UK-based, community-focused organisation working to reduce single-use pollution on trails and in wild places. Their mission is to encourage people to pick up litter while walking, running, or cycling, and to log what they find to help build data on pollution sources.
This event was filmed by the BBC for an upcoming series focused on litter across the UK, presented by Stacey Dooley. The 12-episode series, “Stacey Dooley Cleans Up”, is due to air by spring 2027. This particular episode — number 8 — centres on litter in the Lake District and will also feature other locations filmed in the area.
I just want to say a huge thanks to the following: Dom at Trash Free Trails for a wonderful experience, and for the superb presentation and insight into this now global problem; the BBC for allowing us to be extras, and for all of your patience; and, of course, a special thank you to Stacey, who was fantastic throughout the event and spent a lot of time chatting and having fun with our daughter, Emily. You’re not just a star on TV.
Richard
