Dog takes the lead in town’s clean-up
BORDER collie Stan is rounding up rubbish on his daily walks.
The six-year-old pet sniffs out discarded litter while in beauty spots with owner Kate Oakes, 48.
The dental hygienist said: “Stan needs to be walked a couple of times a day and it’s important to keep the area tidy, so we do both.
“We get an amazing response from people who see us, and they love the fact that Stan helps with the clean-up.”
Kate says Stan picks up a lot of household items that have been thrown away in Brynmawr, South
Wales. Now she has started group litter picks to encourage the community to get involved.
She said: “I hope people see what me and Stan are doing and get inspired to do a bit themselves. It really is a beautiful place and it’s such a shame to see people treating it like this.
“Everybody is welcome to take part, or even go out on their own. It does make a difference as we want Brynmawr to be a place we can all be proud of. I started doing this about two and a half years ago when I would take Stan for a walk and see litter everywhere.
“I work full time but I don’t mind doing this.And Stan loves to be out of the house as well.”
Councillor Wayne Hodgins also takes part in the litter picks. He said: “We want to support them as much as we can. We also want to educate people to stop throwing litter in the first place.”
Fly-tipping Action Wales group praised the efforts of Kate and Stan. A spokeswoman said: “This is fantastic work.”