Hi! My name's Gill Thomas - local resident, Mum to three kids, photographer and Parish and District Councillor in Minchinhampton, Stroud. I'm also Stroud District Council’s Member Champion for Litter and Clean Environment, which is a role I love! I do heaps of community focused work to help tackle anti-social behaviour, and use my love of running and cycling to raise awareness about the problem of litter in our local environment.

I'm taking my actions a step further with 'Litter Pickers for Little Pickers'. The campaign aims to provide all primary-aged children access to litter picking sticks so that they can play a part in keeping the areas around their schools tidy. There are just over 60 primary schools in the Stroud District and so far 45 have signed up to the campaign, requesting over 1400 litter pickers between them. The schools I’ve contacted so far have asked for anything from 10 to 100 sticks each. It has been heartwarming to witness such enthusiasm. The demand from schools for litter pickers has been incredible, and proves there is a strong desire in our communities for action. Giving schools all these litter pickers is going to make the activity of picking up litter so much more accessible, and in so doing, will help to promote positive behaviour change. The money raised will also go towards books and reading sessions that will explain to children why litter picking is important for the environment.

How am I going to raise the money?

Last year I ran and litter picked the Stroud Half Marathon, which I completed in 3 and a half hours, collecting 22 bags of rubbish along the way. I really enjoyed the challenge, which generated a lot of publicity about the problem of litter in our District, and inspired me to scale up my efforts.

Over the next 12 months I'll be taking part in a number of different fundraising challenges, all designed to test my strength, endurance, and determination - and I’ll be doing them all with a litter picker in my hand!

March 2025 - Minch 10K - COMPLETED!

May 2025 - 100km run/cycle challenge - COMPLETED!

June 2025 - Shortest night of the year, 22 mile all night midsummer litter pick

August 2025 - 172km trash trail bike ride around the District boundary

September 2025 - 21km waste water swim along the canal

October 2025 - Stroud Half Marathon

January 2026 - Ice Walk over broken glass bottles collected as litter from the streets of Stroud.

February 2026 - 'Lay Bys' of Love

The litter crisis is getting worse across the whole of the UK. Only 9 out of 100 places are completely litter free, with deprived areas being three times more likely to be affected, (The Guardian.) Littered streets have a detrimental impact on mental health and safety, as well as the economic development of an area. At a local level, it costs Stroud District Council over £770,000 a year in tax-payers’ money to empty bins, clear streets of rubbish and remove fly-tipped waste.

Some people have the attitude that it’s OK to drop rubbish in the streets, as someone else - usually the council - will clear up after them. But the council can’t be out every day as well as doing weekly bin collections; so it’s the responsibility of all of us to help keep our streets tidy. If we all do a little bit when we’re out and about, and make it a team effort, it will benefit everyone.

Picking up litter isn’t the solution to the problem, but it does enable people to take positive action. The more opportunities we give people to pick up litter, the more chance there is of developing positive behaviour change.

I am seeking your support in reaching my target amount of £10,000 so that together we can make a lasting impact on our community's environment. Please help me in supporting our local schools and each other to nurture the next generation of litter champions. By donating to this cause, you’ll be helping more than 7,000 local primary aged children to create a cleaner, greener, safer future.

Participating schools include:

Amberley

Bisley Blue Coat

Bluecoat C of E

Brimscombe

Bussage

Callowell

Cam Everlands

Cam Hopton

Cam Woodfield Infant

Cam Woodfield Junior

Cashes Green Primary School and Children's Centre

Chalford Hill Primary School

Coaley CofE Primary Academy

Cranham CofE Primary School

Dursley C of E Primary Academy

Foxmoor

Gastrells

Hardwicke Parochial Primary Academy

Hunts Grove

Kings Stanley Primary School

Leonard Stanley School

Longney

Minchinhampton Academy

Miserden Primary School

Nailsworth

North Nibley

Oakridge Parochial Primary School

Randwick

Sheepscombe

Slimbridge

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St. Matthew's

St Roses

Stone with Woodford

Stroud Valley Community School

The Acorn School

The British School

The Croft

Rosary Catholic Primary School Stroud

The Shrubberies School and Apperley Centre

Thrupp

Upton St Leonard’s

Whiteshill Primary School

Whitminster Endowed C of E Primary School

Woodchester Endowed CofE Primary School