Let’s go wild on litter! Nature show stars hail our big pick-up
TV naturalists and other celebrities are giving their support to the Great British Spring Clean.
Steve Backshall and Michaela Strachan yesterday praised the litter picking campaign by the Daily Mail and Keep Britain Tidy – as the number of volunteers passed 45,000.
Astronaut Tim Peake and comedian Bill Oddie also gave their backing. The Mail hopes to enlist 500,000 volunteers to help pick up litter between March 22 and April 23.
Wildlife show presenter Backshall said: ‘Travelling around the world, I have seen first-hand the damage litter can do to wildlife but this is something that isn’t just happening in far-off places.
‘Litter in our country kills or injures thousands of animals every year and once it goes into our seas the damage continues. Every one of us can surely spare a few minutes or even a few hours to make a difference.’
Miss Strachan, presenter of the Really Wild Show and Springwatch, said: ‘Having recently done a tour that took me to many of our cities in the UK, I have been really shocked at the amount of litter. We need to start a war on waste and litter.’ Major Peake – who spent 185 days on board the International Space Station – said he often picks up litter.
‘I totally support Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean,’ he said. ‘It’s hugely important, it goes back to looking and caring for the environment and to how we minimise human impact on the planet we live in.’
Former Goodies member Oddie added ‘You may well think that a litter pick is worthy, but tedious. Not a bit. It is fun meeting and working with others, of all ages, and you never know what you will find – shells, old coins, bottles from America, even fossils.’