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Meet Theo: 100 days of litter picking in his community

As part of our New Year Wilder You campaign, we’re sharing stories that show how nature is already part of everyday life, and how small, meaningful actions can help us care for the places and wildlife we’re part of.

One such story comes from Theo, whose commitment to litter picking has inspired people of all ages across his community. 

After following Theo’s 100-day litter picking challenge for some time and having been inspired by his dedication, our Wilder Lives Manager, Kristen, joined him on day 99 for a family and community litter pick at Longrun Meadow in Taunton. Come rain or shine, Theo has been out litter picking every day, raising funds for Surfers Against Sewage, a charity close to our hearts.

We headed down to the meadow to meet Theo and his family on a sunny Sunday morning. A good crowd had gathered with everyone keen to meet Theo - who has become a bit of a local celebrity!   
 

Theo litter picking in his community

We set off for an hour, agreeing to come back together at the end. Theo carefully weighs all the litter he collects and sorts it so that most of it can be recycled, so it was important to bring everything we found back to the meeting point.  
 
The sky was blue and the air crisp – perfect litter picking conditions! As always, the children got stuck in straight away, turning the task into friendly competitions: who could collect the most litter or find it in the most obscure and hard-to-reach places? 

They climbed into hedgerows to retrieve bottles and bits of plastic and had some interesting finds along the way, including a damaged micro-scooter dumped in the hedge, quite a few pencils, a cricket ball and a pair of pants (yuk!). 

As we walked around the meadow the children talked about why they enjoy litter picking. They spoke about the wildlife they would see in the meadow and wanting to ensure there was a clean and safe environment for it to live. Along the way, they spotted plenty of signs of wildlife which acted as a beautiful reminder as to why they had chosen to spend their Sunday morning taking environmental action in this way!

Theo has now completed his 100 Days of Litter Picking challenge and, at time of writing, has already smashed his £2,000 target in fundraising for Surfers Against Sewage. 

His passion for wildlife, the ocean and doing something positive to help his local community is inspirational to other young people and adults alike. 
 
Why not gather a few families and organise a litter pick in your own community? It’s a simple way to care for the places you share with wildlife and take a small step towards a Wilder You this year. 

 
Here are some top tips to help you plan your pick

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