Tidy Our Town: ‘Remarkable achievement’ of 100,000 purple bags filled by Northants Litter Wombles

The start of the Wombles stemmed from Nicola Elliott seeing a negative social media post about the amount of litter that remained after some flooding in January 2021.

As people expressed their disgust online, Nicola said she was happy to go along and clear it with her equipment – and asked if anyone else wanted to join.

After a lot of interest, it sparked the idea that people across the entire county may be interested in doing their bit.

With litter picking friends that had set up wider groups in other regions, Nicola described the way they held her hand while she got it off the ground.

Three-and-a-half years on, the more than 4,000 members of the purple army have reached a figure that Nicola did not even consider was possible back in 2021.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” she told the Chronicle & Echo. “It’s fantastic that we have got to this figure. I wasn’t thinking about the future that much when we started but it feels fantastic.

“That’s 100,000 bags of litter removed off the streets, roads and parks. It is sad that so much litter was dropped in the first place, but it’s a remarkable achievement all done by volunteers.”

The group reached their first major milestone of 10,000 bags after just three months, which was rapid progress for the newly-launched initiative.

Nicola says that as this was during lockdown when everyone could only go out for daily walks and many litter picked to occupy their time, it was no surprise that numbers dropped as people drifted back to their normal lives.

The group has a large band of loyal volunteer pickers, with new members who continue to join the ever-expanding Facebook group. Nicola believes this shows there is promise for the future.

When asked if there is anything she would like to say to the dedicated volunteers who have supported her vision, Nicola said: “They’re all amazing”.

Whether it is a person who collects a bag of rubbish from their street every so often, or someone who regularly clears laybys and goes to group picks, Nicola wants them to know they are all amazing people.

“I’m hopeful it will inspire others to litter pick or stop littering in the first place,” she added. “We are moving in the right direction.”

The Northants Litter Wombles put together litter logs each week, which outlines how many bags have been picked and in which areas. Even now there are names the founder does not recognise.

It was Lou from Duston who filled the 100,000th purple bag, one of five she had collected that day – but Nicola says it is about everyone’s effort and hard work behind the scenes.

“Sometimes it can feel like a drop in the ocean,” said Nicola. “But lots of people doing little changes can make a huge difference.”

If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, founded in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].

To join the Northants Litter Wombles in their important work, visit the Facebook group here.