Little Rissington Walks
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The Joy of Being Useful… & Fit!
by Gray Elkington
Since 2019, Little Rissington has been following the #PristineParish Program, aiming to de-litter the entirety of the parish road network twice a week and incidentally show other parishes what’s possible. Indeed, we think beyond our own parish to the rivers and seas and regard ourselves as ‘pikkers’ named after a mythical figure who protects the rivers, and accordingly our aim is to prevent litter from being washed into the waterways.
How have we been doing?
With the help over the years of many pikkers, including a number of Duke of Edinburgh Award youngsters, most litter has been binned on average within two days. This places Little Rissington within the vanguard of UK parishes for protecting the ecosystem. Many if not most parishes only have one or two litter picks per year.
In fact, so effective is our parish-keeping regime that it may seem that littering is not a problem. A glance at our photos below will thus prove salutary.
People’s lives change and volunteers come and go
All of the four weekly ‘piks’ are being done every week. But, from time to time, a pikker can’t do their pik, which is where you come in. I’d like you to join the subs bench (the LR Parish Pikkers WhatsApp Group) and offer cover if you can.
If you do offer cover, you will have 3-day window within which to do the ‘pik’ at whatever time of day you choose. A free hi-vis vest and grabber are provided by me and any litter you find can be placed in your own bins. It’s a system designed for the busy volunteer: it flexes to your schedule, it’s simple… and, personally speaking, it ensures I get some exercise!
A pik takes about 90 minutes at a gentle pace. Given there are no accumulations of litter - it’s spread out along the Walk - a pik can be done at an anaerobic pace. So, think of it as exercise combined with community service… or a leisurely stroll.
