Stan leads way on keeping town tidy
WHEN it comes to tackling fly-tipping, no-one has as much of a nose for sniffing out rubbish as Stan the dog.
The six-year-old border collie regularly picks up discarded items while out on walks with his owner Kate Oakes.
The pair take part in litter picks in Brynmawr as locals try to fight back against the growing problem.
Kate said she became fed up of seeing tonnes of litter thrown across local beauty spots as she and Stan enjoyed their daily walks – and decided to form the Brynmawr Community Litter Pick group as a response.
Kate works full time as a dental hygienist but spends hours of her free time every day walking around the town picking up litter.
She said: “I started doing this about two-and-a-half years ago when I would take Stan for a walk and see litter everywhere. He tends to pick up the rubbish naturally as he thinks its a game, so it can be quite dangerous for him sometimes. Over the last couple of years it’s resulted in a number of trips to the vet where he’d cut his mouth on cans or other pieces of litter, so I decided enough was enough.
“The area is becoming a hot spot for fly-tipping and I didn’t want other dog walkers or children getting injured, so we started litter picking every time we went out.”
She added: “From there it has grown to the point where we organise group events to clean up the area, and have a number of volunteers who help with things like changing bins, and picking up litter when they get chance.
“We go all over Brynmawr, from the old school site in Nantyglo to the welfare park and town centre, and always come back with a bag full of rubbish. It definitely makes a difference in keeping the town clean and Stan loves to be out of the house as well.”
Kate moved to Brynmawr from Derbyshire about 14 years ago, after she fell in love with the beauty of the area.
It is this passion for her adopted town, along with a need to walk energetic Stan that drives her to keep going with the fantastic work she does.
“We generally get an amazing response from people who see us, and they love the fact that Stan helps with the clean up,” said Kate.
“We pick up a lot of rubbish, usually household stuff but we have noticed an increase in drug paraphernalia and needles lately. Besides looking awful its just not safe so we want to put a stop to it now.
“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 its such a shame to see people treating it like this.
“Everybody is welcome to come along and take part, and I would encourage anyone to help with the group litter picks or even go out on their own if they get chance. It really does make a big difference as we want Brynmawr to be a place we can all be proud of .”
Councillor Wayne Hodgins takes part in work with the group.
He said: “It’s a challenge for us to keep the town clean, but the work the Brynmawr litter pickers do is very much appreciated by all the locals, particularly also those who use the parks and fields where most of the litter is dropped.
“As a council we want to support them as much as we can now with resources and collecting points, to ensure they can continue this fantastic job. We also want to educate people to stop throwing litter in the first place as that could have a big impact in reducing the mess long term.
“Ultimately we all have to pull together and clean it up for the benefit of the community.”
Fly-tipping Action Wales has also praised the work of the Brynmawr litter pick group and hopes Kate and Stan can keep up the great work they are doing long in to the future.