Little Litter Warriors
2294. Karen Blanchfield
Karen Blanchfield, from Worcestershire, set up her ‘Little Litter Warriors’ programme in 2020 to educate and engage school children across the local area about litter and looking after community spaces.
Karen has been a community litter picker since 2018 and is an Ambassador for ‘Keep Britain Tidy’. Backed with funding from her council, Karen works closely with schools, local authorities and youth groups to deliver the programme with a hands-on approach to highlight the issue of litter pollution in a fun and engaging way.
Through the initiative, Karen provides all schools and community groups in the area with an educational litter programme and litter pick workshops that have engaged over 18,000 children in regular litter-picking activities over the last three years.
The award for Karen coincides with the ‘Great British Spring Clean’ annual campaign which runs from 15 to 31 March, bringing together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to come together and help make a difference to the environment.
Congratulating Karen on her award, Nigel Huddleston, Karen’s local MP for Mid Worcestershire, said:
“I am delighted to see Karen Blanchfield receive the recognition she deserves for all her hard work in launching her ‘Little Litter Warriors’ programme. The scheme has involved over 18,000 of our young people, making a huge difference in our local communities. I look forward to being able to congratulate Karen personally on the outstanding achievement of being awarded a Point of Lights award.”
Keep Britain Tidy CEO, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said:
“The work that Karen does in her local area with ‘Little Litter Warriors’, and engaging volunteers all over Wychavon is an absolute inspiration to us all. The amount of energy and determination she brings to this important work is second-to-none.
“Karen has been a Keep Britain Tidy #LitterHeroes Ambassador for several years and is an incredible advocate for our work, going above and beyond to help us shine a light on the vital role of volunteers. Karen is a very special person to us; her passion is palpable and we are so proud to collaborate with her on our joint mission to end litter”.
Karen said:
“I am delighted to have been chosen for this award in recognition for the passion I have in educating children about the impact of litter pollution in our communities. This award I share with all the children who enthusiastically continue to make a difference in their communities after being inspired by the ‘Little Litter Warriors’ educational workshops.”
Find out more about ‘Little Litter Warriors’