VOLUNTEERS across the Forest rolled up their sleeves as part of a national litter pick to be in with a chance of winning a share of £1,000.

In partnership with the Forestry Commission and Ubico, the Forest Council is inviting community groups to ‘Clean for the Queen’ to mark Her Majesty’s 90th birthday in April.

On Saturday, at least 30 volunteers took to the streets of Newent, where street wardens handed out litter pickers before they went in separate directions around the town.

Cllr Sandra Marcovecchio and Cllr Colin Thomas attended alongside the volunteers and council employees from Newent, including a large group from Steve Gooch Estate Agents led by Tom Gooch.

All sorts of packaging, bottles and general rubbish were collected and placed in the waiting lorries.

Organiser Nick Brown, street warden team leader, said: “It is nice to see so many people turning out. I see these types of events as bringing people together allowing them to take ownership of the problem. Some volunteers already do this type of cleaning and I hope this will encourage more to do it in future.”

Meanwhile, after raising £106 on a cake stall towards repairs to the recently vandalised Bathurst Pool, members of Lydney Parkrun collected sacks of rubbish around the lakeside and canal.

Claire Lavender, a core team member from Lydney Parkrun, said: “It’s fantastic to see the Parkrun community coming together for Lydney to raise funds for the outdoor pool and tidy up the lake area. It just goes to show how proud of Lydney the community is.”

A three-day long litter-pick between the Forestry Commission, Foresters’ Forest Project and the Forest of Dean District Council saw an enormous pile of rubbish collected, including old tyres, fridges and carpets.

Joe Lewis of Forest Adventure even abseiled down Symonds Yat Rock to pick up litter thrown over the cliff.  

Groups of people – young and old – also took part at Redmarley School, Linear Park in Cinderford, and woodland around Brierley, Staunton and Cannop Ponds.

Kevin Stannard, Deputy Surveyor of the Forest, said: “It was great to see so many people supporting the events and to hear about how much they care about their local woods and feel proud to live in the Forest of Dean.”

To support the campaign in the Forest of Dean, Ubico Ltd has donated a prize of £1,000 to be split between the top three litter picking groups in the district.

The competition will run until the end of April, with judging taking place in May.

If community groups need support they can call street wardens on 01594 810000.