Mother's litter challenge inspires clean-up in Carlton-in-Lindrick

Residents in Carlton-in-Lindrick have been inspired to help combat litter on their streets after a mother-of-two challenged herself to tidy the streets around her home.
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Weronika Pas, aged 34, set herself the target of collecting a carrier bag of litter every day for 30 days.

And her actions have inspired her neighbours to pitch in.

Weronika, who lives on the Carlton Wimpey Estate in the village, credits finding a new job with a change in attitude that prompted the challenge.

Weronika Pas litter picking with Robin Carrington-Wilde and Steve Scotthorne in Carlton-in-Lindrick.Weronika Pas litter picking with Robin Carrington-Wilde and Steve Scotthorne in Carlton-in-Lindrick.
Weronika Pas litter picking with Robin Carrington-Wilde and Steve Scotthorne in Carlton-in-Lindrick.

She said: “Litter has been a bad problem around the estate, so I decided I would get up at 5am every morning and collect a bag of litter every day for 30 days while walking my dog, Charlie.

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“I never believed in myself. But when I finally found a job that fit my life and my thinking, it changed my attitude in a positive way.

“Working for Arbonne encourages me to live a healthy life, to protect the environment and support other people to flourish. It helped me be brave enough to set myself a challenge.”

As well as collecting litter, Weronika created the Facebook page ‘Positive Community of Carlton-in-Lindrick’ and posted what she was doing each day.

Soon fellow villagers, including parish councillors, were joining her challenge, while others shared what they had been doing to care for the village.

Supported by her husband, Pawel, and children Victoria and Gabriel, Weronika successfully completed her 30-day challenge and continues to tackle litter on a regular basis.

Weronika added: “I set myself a personal goal that I hoped would also be good for my community.

“It was natural to me to care for the place we live and I wanted to contribute.

"I was surprised when people wanted to join in, but it was great because I encouraged them and they encouraged me.

“I was happy when people shared what they were doing. It was like proof that it doesn’t matter if you’re old or young, Polish or English, you can make a difference – if we want the change, we can look to ourselves and make it happen.”

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