Tidy Our Town: ‘It makes me sad at the state of mind people are in – why do you not care?’
A dedicated volunteer says that seeing littering and fly tipping makes her sad, as she questions the state of mind of her fellow residents and why they do not care.
In the fourth instalment of this week’s daily Tidy Our Town coverage, we spoke to the founder of the Semilong Wombles Jackie Balchin.
She first began volunteering with the Northants Litter Wombles in February 2023, after engaging with some pickers on the Racecourse.
“I was fed up with myself and my internal dialogue moaning about the litter,” Jackie previously told this newspaper. “I wanted to be proud of where I live.”
Jackie described the formation of the Semilong Wombles as a happy coincidence, as she met others who lived nearby at another group pick and they have remained in touch ever since.
Though there is not a formal arrangement about when the Semilong Wombles go out together, Jackie texts the members each month and everyone available meets up to make a difference.
Having last spoken to the Chronicle & Echo more than a year ago in June 2024, Jackie was asked to summarise how the issue of littering and fly tipping has been since then.
“It’s improved and I see a council worker here,” said Jackie. “I do see him quite a bit and that’s made a difference. They’ve also changed our bins to clear recycling bags, and that’s helped as there’s no more residue on bin day.”
The core members of the Semilong Wombles have remained the same since June 2024 and they continue to meet up once a month to tackle the hotspot streets.
Jackie continued: “People recognise us and say hi. We put smiles on faces in the community and people say thank you. We get a nice reception as we do the same streets and areas that need the most love and attention.
“A woman came up to us and said she didn’t want to come to group picks, but wanted purple bags to do her street and surrounding area. If everyone took pride and paid attention to outside their houses, it would make such a difference.”
Jackie was asked how it feels to see litter and fly tips in her area as both a dedicated volunteer and passionate resident.
She said: “It’s sad really. I still want to litter pick as I enjoy it, but it makes you worry that people have given up and think what’s the point. It makes me sad at the state of mind people are in – why do you not care?
“I’m worried about their mentality and if there were more people who cared, we would have an even bigger and better community.”
Moving forward, Jackie would love to see involvement from shops in the Semilong area in tackling the issue of littering and fly tipping.
Even if they were to add a monthly retailer pick and raise greater awareness of the work of the Semilong Wombles, Jackie believes this would make a noticeable difference.
If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, established in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].