A young girl from Sherborne St John is inspiring her community to tackle litter and keep their environment clean and green
Sherborne St John: Elizabeth Hatt’s daughters, aged seven and two, got a litter picker from Father Christmas. This gift sparked their desire to clean up their neighborhood.
Elizabeth mentioned that kids learn about environmental issues at school. But when they drive home, they see litter everywhere in the countryside. It’s frustrating!
She said, “Litter harms the environment and small animals. Ignoring it teaches kids that it’s okay to let it be.”
On Christmas Day, her daughter was thrilled to unwrap the litter picker. She exclaimed, “I’ve got a litter picker, this is amazing! Father Christmas must know we love cleaning up!”
Since then, the family has gone on several litter-picking outings, filling a Sainsbury’s bag with trash from their village lane walks.
Elizabeth is keen on showing her kids that small actions can lead to big changes. She hopes this will motivate others to join in and clean their areas.
During the holidays, her daughter even drew pictures of endangered animals, like pandas, to raise awareness. Elizabeth said, “She’s a passionate advocate for the environment. She told me, ‘We can’t have litter on the streets, mummy!’”
Statistics show that about 3 million pieces of litter are dropped on UK roads by drivers. Cleaning it up costs taxpayers around £500 million each year.
Elizabeth added, “Some streets in Basingstoke look so dirty, even the ring road is a mess. It’s just lovely to be in a clean area.”
