Anti-litter warrior Lori vows to rid roadside of rubbish
Anti-litter campaigner Lori Silvan has vowed to complete a “herculean” 10-mile sponsored roadside litter-pick despite the challenge taking her much longer than expected.
Lori set o from her home village of Clachan on Monday February 20, with the aim of collecting rubbish on the verges alongside the A83 all the way to Tarbert by the end of April.
But, with just over a week until her target end date, and despite collecting more than 60 bin bags of litter, the scale of the issue means Lori has only completed three miles of the journey so far.
Her dedication to the cause, however, has seen her promise to continue until she reaches her destination, no matter how long that takes.
“I was hoping to have completed my mission by the end of April but I will have to extend it as, unfortunately, it is taking rather longer than anticipated,” said the childcare practitioner. “But I am determined to complete the pick to Tarbert.”
Not only is Lori helping to keep Kintyre looking beautiful but she is also raising money through sponsorship for the Tarbert Pantry food bank.
She has done several newspaper and radio interviews discussing her litter-picking venture and why there is a need for it, as well as the importance of food banks, especially with rising food costs.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to all the people who have sponsored me so far,” said Lori. “For anyone who still wishes to sponsor me, sponsor forms will remain at Clachan Filling Station and e Gather in Tarbert until the end of April.
“I will continue to work hard to bring litter up as an issue; everyone can see how much of an issue it is becoming. I hope the council and BEAR Scotland will look at putting something in place to address the issue in a safer and more permanent way.” Lori added that, throughout her challenge, Kintyre and the Islands councillor Alastair Redman has been “extremely supportive”.
She also thanked Argyll and Bute Council’s refuse collectors for their “great job” in regularly uplifting the bin bags she collects.
Councillor Redman said: “I have had the pleasure of meeting Lori on many occasions where I have been kept up-todate on the terri c work she has been doing to clear litter from the sides of our roads.
“Lori’s herculean e orts are really producing some great results and volunteers like her should be encouraged and given every measure of support that can be given.”
A council spokesperson responded: “We work hard year-round to do all we can as a council to keep Argyll and Bute beautiful. It is shameful that anyone would choose to leave litter anywhere and we would urge everyone who visits the area to love it, not litter it – please take your litter home rather than leaving it for others. We are grateful to the large number of volunteers across Argyll and Bute who do their bit to keep the area clean, and we support them in their e orts by providing bags, gloves and litter pickers, and collecting the bags and equipment afterwards.”
In the future, Lori hopes to raise some money to buy more litter pickers to give out to individuals who require them but added that she “would not recommend roadside picking as it can be hazardous”.
“I do hope to inspire others to do a small patch, when they go for a walk, walk their dog, etc,” she said. Join the Facebook group WAKE UP, CLEAN UP ARGYLL!.