Landscape conservation charity Friends of the Lake District are on a mission to sign up even more volunteers to their ambitious ‘Great Cumbrian Litter Pick’ on Friday 6^th July. 

To date, 42 litter picks have been registered throughout the county from Carlisle to Millom and Whitehaven to Sedbergh; involving schools, businesses, organisations and communities. 

The Great Cumbrian Litter Pick has also gained the backing of some high profile supporters.  

Author and former president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Bill Bryson, outdoor broadcaster, photographer and film-maker Terry Abraham and adventurer and outdoor journalist, Phoebe Smith. 

Phoebe Smith said, 

"I am so proud to support the Great Cumbrian Litter Pick. I always walk with a bag to fill with other people's rubbish I find on my adventures. I always aim to leave a place in a better condition than I find it. The Great Cumbrian Litter Pick gives us all a chance to do just that, and spend a day outside too with wonderful like-minded people.” 

Pictured: Phoebe Smith

Organiser, Ruth Kirk, 

“We’ve had an amazing response so far from people signing up to help us make Cumbria cleaner. It’s massively heartening to see how much Cumbrians care about their county. 

“Litter is a massive problem wherever you look, not just locally, but nationally and internationally too. It’s why we want even more people to take part whether it’s as a group or as an individual to help raise the profile of the issue and to set an example.” 

With so many litter picks already registered, the choice may be a bit daunting so Friends of the Lake District has picked out a few to give you some inspiration. 

• A lake-based litter pick with Friends of the Lake District on Ullswater with your own canoe or kayak.
• A climb up England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, with the National Trust.
• A walk along the Glenridding to Helvellyn route with the John Muir Trust.
• A stroll along the River Ehen with West Cumbria Rivers Trust.
• A Fix the Fells organised litter pick, fixing as you go.
• A community litter pick taking place near your own home.

Details of how to sign up for an organised litter pick or how to create and register your own litter pick event can be found at www.thegreatcumbrianlitterpick.org.uk or by emailing [email protected].