COMMUNITY litter picking group The Wombles of Hambleton has set a new record for the number of rubbish sacks collected by members.

Throughout 2020, 2,383 bags of litter were picked in the Northallerton and wider Hambleton area – almost 1,000 bags ahead of the previous year.

Claire Hampson, from the group, said the most common items collected remain fast food and drink containers.

“For our members, especially this year, actual litter picking has only been a small part of it,” added Ms Hampson. “When a number of our members were furloughed at various points, litter picking gave a purpose to their day when we will freely admit a number of us struggled mentally with lockdown.

“As always, we continue to be part of the bigger picture, volunteering our time in conjunction with Keep Britain Tidy, having four ambassadors for this in our group.

“Mention must be made of two special Wombles, Eric Ponton and his wife Margaret. They picked more than 500 bags themselves in addition to a number of other volunteering posts within the community. They certainly define the word volunteer, are totally selfless and always go above and beyond to help. They just had to be our Wombles of the year.

“Going forward we are currently unable to have an organised pick but this doesn’t deter us, with Wombles picking whilst on their daily exercise. All of our exploits can be found on our Facebook page, twitter or instagram.”