Friends of Thringstone's litter picking group has issued an appeal for more volunteers to get involved this year.

Their litter picking exploits are well known to those in the village, and during the year, the team of pickers has continued to try and keep the streets and local woodland clear of rubbish.

This was acknowledged by the group picking up an Environmental Heroes award in 2021.

Chairman, Nita Pearson, said: 'We started the year with 14 volunteer litter pickers who picked regularly for us, but this had reduced to five by the end of the year as people have gone back to work and their time has been reduced.

"Despite all this, we managed to clear 1,586 bags of litter from our village and woodland in 2021.

"Whilst this annual figure is more than we removed during 2020 and 2019, it isn't a record.

"In 2015, we removed 2,053 bags from the village, and 2016 wasn't far behind.

"We would encourage everybody with a bit of spare time, or who go for walks with their dogs, to consider joining the ranks of our litter picking volunteers.

"Whilst I wouldn't say that litter picking is fun, it is certainly a good means of getting exercise and meeting new people, as well as protecting the environment and making our village look better for residents and visitors.'

Anybody interested in litter picking with the group should contact Friends of Thringstone through the group's Facebook page.