This week, we’re praising the outdoor enthusiasm of Charlotte Lister, 37, from Retford. She said…
Wandering through my local woodlands, I wasn’t just taking a breath of fresh air.
Nor was I exploring the outdoors just to give my dog Pablo a good run-around.
Instead, I was on the hunt for leftover litter.
Spotting a few rogue crisp packets lingering in the grass, I hastily made my way over and grabbed them, shoving them into a bin bag I’d brought along with me.
‘Mum, what are you doing now?’ my daughter Evie, 13, asked curiously.
Although she comes walking with me every day, she still hasn’t got used to all the random tasks I do along the way.
From picking up litter, to creating log piles and inspecting any drains.
Those were just a few things I’d done since I became a volunteer for the RSPCA in June last year.
Having always loved the outdoors, going out walking since I was little with my parents, I wanted to do my bit to protect the environment.
I use our dog walks to do my bit
Yet volunteering was always something that I struggled to fit into my daily schedule.
While working four days a week, taking a climate change course at my local college and running around after Evie, the only free time I got was once in a blue moon.
But during the King’s Coronation, I saw reports online of the litter left behind after the celebrations.
I need to do something
