Michelle and Rachel had a very productive start to the weekend. We dragged ourselves out of bed for Parkrun before heading straight to join a local litter picking group for a couple of hours picking.

As ever, we came prepared with our own litter pickers and seemingly endless supply of charity bags we repurposed after finding them flytipped on previous litter pick!

We got asked by a local if we'd "done something wrong" and that's why we were picking. He was slightly incredulous at the idea we were just being community spirited!

An after work pick seems to attract the masses rather than a before work pick so 5 of us hit a local streets!!!

Amongst our haul was a double divan bed base and a toilet seat and a lot of cans thrown out of someone's window.

We picked in the dark so no clue what we stood on as we cleared litter from green spaces near the roads and in the estate.

The windy days have definitely given the gift of litter so nice to target a little area as a gang!

Thanks for turning out :)

A little patch of Sheffield needed some dedicated attention so before dawn I turned out alone to finally clear some long standing rubbish.

I was using the opportunity to test exposure therapy relating to my fear of rats and so managed to clear the area but didn't see any furry friends at this spot.

Later when I checked out my usual litter picking hot spot I saw one rat so good to know I can expose myself to rats for my ongoing therapy which may actually be working.

The rubbish was so bad that it was turning into compost so really glad to have given time to get to the bottom of it and I'll now be able to keep on top of it.

I received 3 thank you's from people in real life and many more on Facebook through the Sheffield litter picking site. Some of those people work tirelessly and I'm really grateful to this community of people.

A passer by told me about an area of Sheffield that is particularly bad and I know GG have been trying to support in that area.

Home for breakfast!

We enjoyed a post-work workout at a local listed building (Mount Pleasant Mansion) to remove fly tipping and rubbish.

The vegetation had recently been cleared so delights that had been hidden were revealed.

We emptied out plastic bags full of soil and carried other bags of rubbish to the public bin to be picked up.

We then uncovered old litter that had been forgotten and after an hour we'd made a real difference and the place was so much better. Thanks gang!

Someone had misplaced their 12 inch knife that had been hidden in a bush that was no longer there so good to remove that from alongside a seemingly popular 'cut through'.

Other delights included a mystery full can of food (which I'll have for my tea) and a mug that Rachel is going to find a new home for. And we nearly filled my brown bin so a result all round!

Think we'll put in some extra picks to keep on top of it and perhaps it'll turn into a green space that is more (mount) pleasant to visit.

The Tesco superstore in Abbeydale is a hot-spot for littering and lots of rubbish builds up along the river bank, much of which is inaccessible. Originally the mission involved donning waders and life jackets to clear the banks but due to the storms the water level was far too high. So Goodgym Natalie and Max, alongside volunteers from the Sheffield Litter Pickers and staff from the Rivers Stewardship Council did an extensive litter pick across the entire area. After all, every litter(le) helps!

Having had my attention drawn to a nearby grot spot in Woodseats by a member of Sheffield Litter Pickers, I gathered a bunch of Goodgymmers for a lunchtime pick in the winter sunshine. Welcome in particular to new member Becky for her first in person mission on her travels from Nottingham.

We filled several bags in about 45 minutes, whilst Michelle did a bit of community engagement talking to someone whose fence backed onto a particularly bad area of flytipping. She also enthusiastically attempted to repair an area of broken fence to deter further tipping. All in all, lots achieved in a short time, plus fresh air and exercise, and a cheeky lunch out nearby in good company!