A voluntary litter picking group in Bicester is looking for organisations to partner with to encourage more young people to get involved with the group and keep the town clean.
The Bicester Litter Pickers was founded by Kingsmere resident Jamie Jessett, of Epsom Way, and aims to keep Bicester looking clean and tidy both for residents and tourists who visit.
As well creating a clean town, the group also take young people out who are doing their The Duke of Edinburgh Award and Mr Jessett writes up a statement on how they did.
READ MORE: A417 crash near Faringdon: Emergency services at scene
On Facebook, the Bicester Litter Pickers currently have more than 800 members but Mr Jessett is keen to grow the group further and encourage more young people to pick litter in their spare time.
The 27-year-old is now looking for local businesses, community groups, schools and organisations who would be interested in partnering with the Bicester Litter Pickers.
Mr Jessett said: “It is trying to give the message: if you come to our town this is how you should be treating it and we will not tolerate anything else.
“We want this town to look tidy, we do not want it to look messy. We want kids to think about what they are doing and educate them.
“We also want to show that litter picking is fun – it is not a punishment.
“It is more a case of ‘lets go and do something productive and make the town look nice’, then we can all enjoy it.”
The Co-op worker is a firm believer that a clean environment is important for ensuring people have a positive experience in Bicester, as well as improving mental health and wellbeing.
“I have anxiety and Asperger’s so I know that if the environment around me is a mess, it makes me feel less motivated and it is not a good environment to be around.
“It is all about us all coming together - the whole town coming together - to see if we can make the areas we live in more presentable,” he explained.
In July, the group worked with staff from Bicester and Baynards Green McDonald’s to clear rubbish from the streets.
The small group, made up of two Bicester Litter Picker volunteers and ten McDonald’s workers, spent over an hour picking up litter around the Bicester McDonald's and then Whitelands Farm Sports Ground.
Ten black bin bags were filled in total, with items such as sweet wrappers, sandwich packs and McDonald's takeaway bags.
You can contact Mr Jessett on Jamiejessett@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested in partnering with the Bicester Litter Pickers.
-
Read more from this author
This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
A message from our Editor
Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.
If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more.
You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile.
If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here