Tidy Our Town: Walking lover turned Litter Womble shares joy in bringing community together at annual picnic
A walking lover turned Womble, who started his litter picking journey back in July 2021, has shared the joy in bringing like-minded members of the community together at an annual picnic.
Roman Turek has been an avid litter picker for more than three years and it all started with his love for going on walks in nature.
He does not drive and had always enjoyed this form of exercise, even prior to the pandemic. However, it was during the uncertain period that he acted on the disappointment caused by seeing so much litter on his walks.
It was in July 2021 that Roman joined the Northants Litter Wombles, and he told the Chronicle & Echo he was happy to find a group committed to helping the environment and community.
Roman suggested organising a picnic last year, to bring members of the Northants Litter Wombles together in a social setting. This has now become a yearly tradition and the latest one happened at the end of August.
Committee member Alison McClean described Roman as an “awesome Womble” and says he has done amazing work in collecting hundreds of bags of litter by himself in the Delapre Park and Far Cotton area.
When asked how often he goes litter picking, Roman said: “Every spare moment, every weekend. Sometimes in the spring and summer I go after work. It’s very addictive.”
One of Roman’s passions is clearing areas that have been untouched for many years, such as the abandoned railway in his area.
There are decades of litter hiding in the woodland in Delapre and Roman described some of the areas as “treacherous” – which is why he often tackles them single handedly.
Though Roman has seen improvement over the past few years, he said that if maintenance and regular picks were not carried out, litter in visible places would return.
When asked why he believed introducing an annual picnic was a good idea, Roman explained that he wanted to see Wombles bring their families together and share experiences in a social environment away from litter picking.
He knew that Delapre Abbey would be the ideal place for the quality time to be shared, as he described it as “one of the most beautiful areas” of the town.
Despite the windy and cloudy weather, Roman looked back fondly on the recent picnic and said it was an “amazing” day.
“I talk to so many people about the advantages of litter picking,” said Roman. “It gives satisfaction as we are part of nature and there are clean areas for walks. It gives an adrenaline burst.”
He added that litter picking helps to keep him in shape and has a positive impact on his mental health – which was particularly the case during the pandemic.
“People ask how picking up dirty litter can help your mental health,” Roman continued. “I’m with people, in the fresh air and nature, and everything that troubles you goes away.
“You see the enthusiasm of people of all ages going out of their way to do amazing things for the environment and community.”
If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, established in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].