Leave Only Footsteps….

Two of our rural surveyors took time out today to join local schoolchildren on a litter pick in the village of Dunsop Bridge on the Whitewell Estate in Lancashire.

Lydia Richards and James Pyrah joined forces with pupils at Thorneyholme RC Primary School after Headteacher Mrs Olga Jackson invited the youngster to ‘clear up our village for our new King and for love of the environment’. The children donned protective gloves and picked up refuse sacks before moving through the village, removing litter and waste from hedgerows and verges. As a result of the exercise, a significant amount of discarded plastic, glass and cardboard was collected and disposed of responsibly in line with the School’s environmental policy and teaching of the countryside code.

Commenting on the morning’s activity, Rural Surveyor Lydia Richards said: “We were delighted to be able to join in and do our bit to tidy up the village which sits within the Forest of Bowland, itself an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The pride that these young children already take in their village and the surrounding natural landscape was really inspiring and they clearly understand the very real threat to the environment of non-biodegradable materials such as plastics. The future looks to be in very safe hands!”

The village of Dunsop Bridge lies at the confluence of the River Dunsop and the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1964. It forms part of the Duchy of Lancaster’s 6,370-acre Whitewell Estate and is home to approximately 800 residents. Thorneyholme RC Primary School has put nature and outdoor learning at the heart of its curriculum, with children attending regular Forest School activities as well as conservation events, such as Let’s Learn Moor and the National Curlew Festival.