“Clean Up South Downs Together” is a one-year pilot scheme designed to deliver targeted, high-impact litter collection across the South Downs National Park. The initiative is being overseen by the South Downs National Park Trust, with support from the South Downs National Park Authority, and delivered through a combination of local litter-picking volunteers, community-led fundraising, and existing council-contracted litter-picking providers. It is one of the Litter Partnership’s latest initiatives.

In summary, local volunteers’ efforts (sometimes supported by local contractors) will be sponsored by donors, which will lead to “matched work” by contractors who will be paid for through the funds raised. By creating “a virtuous circle of litter-picking”, the initiative aims to establish a scalable model for keeping the South Downs cleaner, greener, and more welcoming for all.

An initial fundraising target of £15,000 has now been met to launch the project. Generous donors have given this money on the understanding that volunteers in each district will complete at least an hour’s litter-picking per week over the course of the year. In return for these efforts, this sponsorship will unlock an additional three hours of paid professional litter-picking by existing contractors in that district (either idverde or Glendale) – work that will focus on litter hotspots informed by local volunteers and South Downs National Park Rangers. The scheme therefore provides “matched-work x 3”.

  • The scheme is being piloted in Winchester, Midhurst and Eastbourne
  • Existing volunteers will litter pick in these areas for at least one hour a week
  • This action then unlocks three hours of litter picking by paid contractors in the same area.

How you can help – Microvolunteering!

This initiative can’t hope to solve the litter problem overnight. However, if many of us regularly do a tiny bit of litter-picking in our local areas, such that together we have volunteered for at least an hour a week, we will unlock significant extra funding to triple the amount of time and resource spent keeping our neighbourhoods clean and tidy. If you are already litter-picking  on a regular basis, a huge THANK YOU!

To find out more, and to get involved, go to the South Downs National Park Trust’s website here.