Plogging! by James Smith

PLOGGING – THE LATEST CRAZE THAT’S SWEEPING THE NATION (DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE!)

If you’re anything like me (and why the hell wouldn’t you be?) I’m sure that you like to keep up with all the latest fads – so, after a hard day’s loom-band bracelet making (stopping occasionally only to feed my Tamagotchi), I like to feel all hygge and relax of an evening with my fidget spinner – but do I worry sometimes that I’m not giving anything back to the local community, and I’m not combining my two favourite pastimes of running around outside – and wondering why people think hanging a bag of dog poo in a tree is in any way acceptable!

Thankfully we now have the latest craze – PLOGGING (from the Swedish plocka skräp to pick up litter whilst running but then you already knew that) – brought to us by our Scandinavian cousins – famously the happiest people in the whole world – perhaps because their grass verges are a spotless delight?

So, on the morning of Saturday 31st March, more than thirty hardy LFR members assembled at the clubhouse armed with bags, gloves, hand sanitiser (and in our case four shiny new litter pickers from ageukincontinence.co.uk – I simply can’t wait for their latest discount code – I’m getting no younger after all) to split into three teams to follow the Leighton 10K course clockwise and anticlockwise and run along Wing Road. We all had to be back by midday to meet up with two fine gentlemen from the council with their dustbin lorry.

With thirty people and ninety minutes to plog – how many bags could we fill? After all you can get LOADS of empty tins of pop into a single dustbin bag.

What do you reckon? Ten? Twenty? Perhaps even thirty – a full bag for every person?

Not exactly…

 

A HUNDRED BAGS!

 

I know!

 

And from just a few streets. But don’t be downhearted – as it is a hundred bags of assorted detritus that are no longer scattered over the Buzzard; and we got both a warm glow inside and a cup of tea and a piece of cake (thanks to Max, Tescos and Morrisons).

Also, it’s an education, Le Corbusier said “Our world, like a charnel-house, is strewn with the detritus of dead epochs.” – I assume he was talking about crisp packets. I’ve learnt that energy drinks are definitely on the rise, White Lightning is the trampagne of choice, and two separate drivers have apparently lost an exhaust without noticing. But best of all David Parker found a handbag containing credit cards and an address, dropped the bag off to find that it had been stolen the previous day from an 87 year old lady out shopping, who was overjoyed to get it back as it contained irreplaceable photos and mementoes.

It was such a huge success that hopefully this will become a regular event, we’ve already had lots of interest on social media from people wanting to help next time – so grab your trainers and your marigolds and get stuck in!