Sunday 8th May 2011:  A small army of 39 local volunteers turn up to make the Westfield Common Big Tidy a grand success.

Four hours of sweat and effort and the end result is one filled skip, 53 bags of general rubbish, 12 blue bags of recyclables and pride all round!

The event, jointly organised by WCRA and Surrey Wildlife Trust, was intended to remove litter, flytipping and other general rubbish to improve the common for the benefit of the local community and wildlife.

Westfield Common, a site of nature conservation importance (SNCI), is a special area of Woking and is enjoyed by residents and leisure visitors alike for its rural nature, opportunities for leisure and walking and convenient access to the countryside.

Sadly, despite being classified as SNCI, Common Land and partially green belt the area has not been actively managed and nurtured by the local government authority.  But for the activism of locals there is no doubt that it would be littered and more degraded.

The Big Tidy Up was the latest effort by WCRA to highlight our concerns regarding the quality of the Common and take positive action to improve the area.

Over four hours the volunteers scoured as much of Westfield Common as we were able to do.  We filled one skip and collected 53 bags of general rubbish and 12 blue bags of recyclables!

We are intending to run another Big Tidy Up in the Autumn so watch this space for updates!

Thanks are due to….

1. WCRA members  for organising the promotion and leafleting to create awareness of the event,

2. Frances Halsted from Surrey Wildlife Trust for organising the clean-up plan, supplying the equipment, organising the skip from WBC, bringing tea and biscuits and arranging the rubbish removal .

3. All the residents and WCRA members that volunteered their time.

4. The Geocachers who turned up to help with the tidy up and explore the woods.

Photos from the Event

More on the Geocachers & CITO

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, anywhere in the world.  Cache In Trash Out (CITO) is an ongoing environmental initiative which encourages Geocachers to clean up areas parks and other areas as they visit them.  You can learn more at: www.geocaching.com.

Related posts:

1. Big Tidy Up 2 – A grand success!
2. Big Tidy Up 2
3. Take Part in the Community Litter Pick – 08 May 2011

Indeed today I witnessed the sad scene of a bed dumped into Moor Lane Pond (see picture below) which has been reported to WBC.

If you are concerned about anti-social behavior or environmental crimes then please report them.   The key contacts are below:

Old Woking, Kingfield and Westfield

• Council Neighbourhood Officer – Yvette Lanham (yvette.lanham@woking.gov.uk, Tel: 01483 743475)
• PC Paul May (w_safer_woking_cen@surrey.pnn.police.uk, Tel: 0845 125 2222 ext: 30055)

Mayford and Sutton Green

• Council Neighbourhood Officer – Tony Tweedie (tony.tweedie@woking.gov.uk, Tel: 01483 743806)
• PC Clare Leggat (w_safer_woking_cen@surrey.pnn.police.uk, Tel: 0845 125 2222 ext: 30055)

Related posts:

1. Access Application – Who to write to
2. WCRA warn residents to be on the lookout for car vandalism
3. Moor Lane Project: Access Planning Application Submitted