Paul Rose litter picking in Windermere during a dive
Explorer and television presenter Paul Rose will head up this year’s Great Cumbrian Litter Pick.
The event, organised by the Friends of the Lake District, will take place across the county in April.
The conservation charity is urging every parish, school and organisation in Cumbria to get involved in the clean-up.
Mr Rose has agreed to be the ambassador for the event, and will be taking part.
The polar guide, diver, public speaker and presenter lives in Cumbria and fronted the BBC series The Lakes. The Friends said he is no stranger to the issue of litter and plastics in the environment.
“Having travelled the world he has seen this global problem at first hand,” a spokesperson for the charity said. “And now he is taking a local interest in helping to clean up Cumbria.”
Mr Rose said: “We all know that waste is an enormous global problem and even on my expeditions to the most remote places on the planet we find waste. Whether that’s deep in the ocean or on tiny Arctic islands, we’re finding waste.
“And I’m often asked, well what can we actually do about it? Well you can’t go wrong with looking after an area you know and love, just like beautiful Cumbria.
“So please join us on 26 and 27 April for the Great Cumbrian Litter Pick. It’s organised by Friends of the Lake District and you can go on the website and see that there’s plenty of events you can join or you can event start your own, and you’ll get support to do that.
“I’ll be there, so let’s do a really great job and, who knows, maybe we’ll do such a brilliant job and set such a high example that we’ll never have to do it again. See you there.”
The first Great Cumbrian Litter Pick last year saw more than 1,300 people taking part in over 60 litter picks across Cumbria from Whitehaven to Sedbergh; Millom to Carlisle, with communities, schools and volunteers collecting more than 350 bags of rubbish.
There will be a draw with a prize of £500 each for one community and one school that takes part, to be spent on environmental improvement or enhancement in its local area or school.
More details can be obtained by emailing the Friends, or by visiting the event’s website.
