LOVE ♥ YOUR TOWN

Back in March 2021, inspired by the amazing Wombles and the community-spirited villagers of Bagby and Balk, a dedicated team of Thirsk FoE volunteers took on the daunting task of litter-picking nearly 20 miles of country lanes in a five-kilometre radius around the picturesque North Yorkshire market town of Thirsk – filling roughly 300 bags with plastic and glass bottles, cans, takeaway food packaging, plastic bags, empty crisp packets, etc – leaving a trail of pristine, litter-free grass verges.

Fast forward three years to 2024, and we’ve just completed our fourth annual country lane pick. For now at least, whether you head out south, north, east or west of the town, it’s looking great in all directions!

We know other towns and villages also take pride in their surroundings, but we think Thirsk may just be the first town in Yorkshire, maybe in England and perhaps even worldwide to be able to declare its country lanes ‘litter-free’ for 5 km all around. Happy to be corrected!

Thanks to all those who gave their time and energy to make our beautiful corner of North Yorkshire even more special – and to North Yorkshire Council’s Street Scene team for providing equipment and collecting all our full bags of litter.

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