Plymouth’s Clean Our Patch community group is celebrating after an outstanding record-breaking year in 2022.
At the end of 2021 having cleared 17,002 bags, the community interest group Clean Our Patch set themselves the target of collecting 20,000 bags last year – and they totally smashed it!
Clean Our Patch and their army of litter pickers collectively cleared 21,366 bags from across Plymouth and South Hams.
It is an incredible achievement by Clean Our Patch founders El Clarke and Ash Sanuels who first embarked on their anti-litter campaign in in 2018 and set up the group as a Community Interest Company (CIC) the following year.
Their activities have grown rapidly over the years and they now organise around 350 litter picks each year across Plymouth and the South Hams.
Clean Our Patch not only work closely with local councils, but also with over 40 schools, the mini police, home schooling groups, businesses, sponsors, charities, festivals and various other organisations such as Plympton Rotary, Morrisons Plymouth – Outland Road Community Champion, Advanced Disposables, Devlin Trust, @gambianproject and Devon Contract Waste to name a few.
One of their most committed supporters is young Sam Ryeland, who supported by his care team, walked a marathon to raise money for Clean Our Patch which paid for equipment and workshops for three Plympton Schools.
For the group’s anniversary in March he’s already planning a triathalon to raise more funds! He also inspired his friends at I-Grow Day Centre to form a group which is the first adult learning disability litter picking group in the city. Inclusion is one of Clean Our Patch’s primary focuses and they plan to expand this in 2023.
They won a Diamond award from Plastic Free Plymouth thanks to the nomination Jackie Young and we were shortlisted for two regional awards at the Great British Expo’s Southwest Business and Community Awards.
El Clarke said: “We have attended over 30 fundraising events and many have donated not just to Clean Our Patch but also helped to raise just over ¬£800 for this year’s chosen charity Kidney Research UK.
We have also donated shoe boxes and bags full of gifts to nursing and dementia homes Ernstell House Care Home and Merafield View.
Ash Samuels added: “We have helped put together food boxes for those in need and we helped (along with many others) to cook and serve Christmas dinner for those needing some love at Christmas.
Most of all we hope that we have helped to empower individuals and communities. We can all feel so powerless in the current climate and can’t fix everything but we can all do ‘one thing’!
Whatever your ‘one thing’ is please know that it makes a huge difference.
“Because together we can make things better for our communities, for our friends and for each other. Be kind. Together we can make change happen.
El added: “But ultimately we could not do any of it without the support, kindness, humility and time of so many wonderful individuals and ambassadors – who in total have volunteered 55,511 hours this year! You are all part of the Clean Our Patch family and we are honoured to know each and every one of you.”
