Tidy Our Town: Wombles to thank for clearing the streets ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup arrival
To kickstart a week of daily Tidy Our Town coverage, we are acknowledging the work done by the Northants Litter Wombles to prepare for the arrival of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Rugby fever has well and truly taken over Northampton as Franklin’s Gardens is hosting a number of matches throughout the tournament – and it was important to get the town ready for an influx of visitors and fans.
Volunteer Alison McClean explained that the Northants Litter Wombles collaborated on the ‘Pride in Place’ initiative with Saints, Veolia, West Northamptonshire Council and Discover Northants, with the aim of enhancing the welcome to the town.
“With the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Northampton, we were asked to take pride in our place as we always do and litter pick part of the route,” said Alison.
“We took on Sixfields leisure and along Weedon Road where most fans will park. We picked 27 bags of litter near the tip and through the alleyway down into Weedon Road.
“We had 15 volunteers and new ones came to join us at their first group pick. We went back again and picked 14 bags along Gambrel Road. This is our contribution to taking pride in our town.
“We received lots of thank yous and had chats with fans going to Franklin’s Gardens. There was a fun-filled atmosphere and everyone was in a good mood. People travelled a long way to see the rugby and it is great for them to have a nice approach.”
Alison said there was a visible difference as the paths were “immaculate” and she reported overhanging foliage to make it look even better.
The volunteer was asked to summarise how this year has been so far for the Northants Litter Wombles, and minimising littering and fly tipping across the county.
“It’s been incredible,” said Alison. “We’ve had loads of new volunteers and the difference we are making across the town is really noticeable.”
Alison lives in Kingsthorpe and is proud of the nice welcome that she and her fellow litter pickers in the area have made to this arterial route into the town.
“Northants Litter Wombles are making a difference every day,” Alison continued. “There’s a really hardworking group over in Lings and Lumbertubs tackling ongoing fly tips.”
Although Alison believes good work has started on tackling fly tipping, especially in the town centre and eastern district, she believes more proactive prosecutions are needed moving forward.
“It starts with education but we need to move on to actually penalising with robust prosecutions, it’s a major issue,” said Alison. “As taxpayers, we are footing the bill for this.
“It’s anti-social and unsafe, and people need to be more thoughtful of how they dispose of rubbish.”
Alison praised the rollout of clear recycling bags in areas with open-top boxes, and she believes everyone needs to “keep the pressure on”.
“The majority of people want to do the right thing but don’t have the equipment to do it,” said Alison. “Household recycling is put out in good faith in open boxes, but the wind takes it or animals rummage through it.”
The dedicated volunteer was asked if she believes littering and fly tipping has reduced across West Northamptonshire, and she said it is hard to say as she is on the ground all the time searching for it.
“Some areas are getting better,” said Alison. “Maintenance picks every week make a noticeable difference in some places. There are pockets that are going to be a continual battle we continue to fight against but, on the whole, the message is getting out there.”
Alison is pleased that the Northants Litter Wombles are finalists in the green category at the upcoming BBC Make a Difference Awards, which they are all keeping their fingers crossed about.
Looking to the rest of 2025, the volunteers will be picking up where they left off with their education programme in schools following the summer holidays – as well as continuing their hard work in making the town and county a cleaner place to live, work and visit.
If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, established in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].