4 heroes of Hartlepool who are doing their bit to keep their communities clean in the Big Town Tidy Up

Some of the inspirational litter pickers who are making such a difference in Hartlepool.

All of them are members of the Hartlepool Big Town Tidy Up group which is flourishing on social media with its message that it’s the job of everyone to keep the streets clean and not just the council.

And these four are leading the way with their excellent efforts.

Katie Todd, mum of Harry Aylett,said Harry ‘is unbelievably kind-hearted and loves to make people smile and happy. He has dyspraxia so struggles a little with feelings and is very hard on himself but since litter picking we have all noticed a huge change in his confidence.”

Harry Aylett whose litter picking efforts have given him a huge boost in confidence.

The Dyke House School pupil raised £1,100 for the Poolie Time Exchange by being sponsored in his litter picking.

Even after the sponsorship drive finished Harry kept on going. “He still continues to litter pick at least once a week as he loves helping to keep Hartlepool tidy,” said Katie.

Fiona Murray is the mum of Niya.

Niya is just four, but that has not stopped her from being a litter picking hero.

Gemma Rhead said her son Theo has hypermobility and autism but he was a litter picking hero in the Throston area.

Fiona said: "Niya is very enthusiastic about collecting rubbish. She would run up the sand dunes and throw can, rubbish down to me for the bag. She runs after rubbish and will grab it away from me. When I walk her to school she wants to collect rubbish.”

Gemma Rhead told us about her son Theo who is ‘still enjoying getting out and about despite suffering with hypermobility as well as autism.

"Theo has been out regularly helping keep Throston tidy,” said Gemma.

"During the first lockdown, we were out every day after finishing his home schooling but now we go out on a weekend. He loves it when people stop and thank him for his hard work. Equally, it's lovely to hear people say that they respect us for showing him how to care for the environment.

Fiona Murray is the mum of Niya. She said Niya was 'very enthusiastic' about collecting litter. Here is Niya with her brother Kieran.

"He also got an award at the end of the summer term from school which mentioned his efforts of keeping the local area tidy.”

Sharon Robins told us about her son Lee who litter picks each week and loves it.

Lee is 21. He has autism and tidies up Hartlepool ‘every Friday with his support worker,’ said mum.

Sharon added: “I am very proud of my son’s efforts.”

Sharon Robins is so proud of her son Lee who has autism but still goes out every week to collect litter 'with his support worker'.

We first reported on the group in June when we told how it had collected 4,000 bags of rubbish and members had taken everything from abandoned bags of dog dirt to gas canisters off the streets of Hartlepool.

Since then, membership has soared and now stands at more than 1,400 people. That includes the army of young members who are determined to make a difference to the environment.

The number of bags collected is now around 10,000.

The group has also launched an initiative where they want to hit every ward in Hartlepool within a year to do a tidy-up in each.

To find out more about the Hartlepool Big Town Tidy Up movement, visit its Facebook page.

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