Community-spirited youngsters put environmentally-minded Christmas presents to good use in Sunderland park

Shannon O’Brien says she was on her way to the beach with her son, six-year-old Elliott, and her friend Jade Skinner’s children, Olivia and Owen (six and four), when the youngsters came across Roker Park’s litter-strewn band stand.

The trio had all asked for litter pickers as Christmas gifts, having noticed rubbish during recent walks in the area.

"I think with us going on a lot more walks due to lockdown, the kids have asked us more about the litter they’ve spotted and so it’s been on their minds more and more,” Grindon resident Ms O’Brien said.

The Wearside parents went on the socially-distanced walk last week, before the new national lockdown rules came into effect.

Ms O’Brien continued: "We came across the band stand and it looked like someone had had a party. So we took a black bag which we’d taken with us and filled it with all the rubbish that had been left there.

"When we saw it walking past, that stopped us dead in our tracks. So that became their little project for the day – to clear all that.”

The proud mum added: “The rain kind of stopped us in our tracks in terms of going down to the beach – they were a bit upset about that.

"But once the weather clears up a bit, and Covid restrictions begin to ease – as we won’t be mixing for a while - we’ll hopefully be back at it again.”

In December 2017, the Echo launched its Clean Streets campaign in response to readers’ concerns about the cleanliness of public spaces across Sunderland.

Backed by Sunderland City Council, the campaign calls on the public to take pride in their community, and report any incidents of fly-tipping and littering.

The drive has won wide support, including from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) - the first charity to wage a national anti-litter effort, across the country, more than a decade ago - has praised the campaign, saying the Echo’s long-term support for tackling the issue is key.

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