Upper Rissington Walks
The Joy of Being Useful… & Fit!
By Gray Elkington, 26 January 2024
Since 2021, Upper Rissington has been following the #PristineParish Program, aiming to de-litter the entirety of the parish 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?
Well, with the help over the years of 35 pikkers, including a number of Duke of Edinburgh Award youngsters, most litter has been binned on average within two days. This places Upper Rissington within the vanguard of UK parishes for protecting the ecosystem. Many if not most parishes only have one litter pick per year.
Above all, it adds to our sense of wellbeing and allows us to look straight in the eye those Year 5/6 children who first called time on litter in Upper Rissington back in 2020. In fact, so effective is our parish-keeping regime that it may seem, especially to newcomers, 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
At the moment two of the 22 weekly ‘piks’ are not being covered, which is where you come in. I’d like to invite you to ‘pik’ a Walk on on the days shown below, for so long as you are able to do it.
You 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 of course 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!
Walks vary in length from 30 to 80 minutes to cater for different exercise or dog-walking regimes. A Walk can be covered at leisure or at speed. So, think of it as exercise combined with community service.
Occasionally we can’t do a ‘pik’ and it goes undone
That’s life. But there’s a UR #PristineParish WhatsApp Group who may be able to provide cover when we’re away or indisposed… and who provide like-minded company at all times!
The two piks that need a pikker, on Tuesdays give or take a day, are:
1. Longmore
2. Wright
Upper Rissington would love you to join us!
Like to join us?
Your mission will be to de-litter a Walk on your own once a week, at a time within a 3-day window that suits you to allow for weather and other contingencies.