When the road she lives on was closed for water main repairs last month, a Godalming woman set out to pick up litter from the hedgerows that would have otherwise been impossible to reach safely because of the traffic.

And Kate Telfer, who picked up rubbish with her four-year-old daughter, was so inspired by the reception she got from people walking past, and on social media, that she decided to set up a Facebook group to provide a forum for other litter-pickers in the town.

Kate, who lives in Chalk Road, told Godalming Nub News: "We were chatting to quite a few people walking by, and one lady said she lived in Peperharow and was planning to do it as well.

"A few days later she put something on Facebook, and got quite a few comments. A lot of people replied, and there were different posts coming up about litter picking in other parts of Godalming.

"I'm a member of the Greener Godalming Facebook group: I mentioned it on there, and then decided to set up a Facebook page because one didn't exist.

"The starting point was that all these different people are doing their bit, and they all share the same goal. I thought we could pool our resources."

Collective effort.

The group was set up earlier this month and now has 90-odd members, and Kate would like to get many more. "I created this group because I want people to think about how we can collectively think about tackling this," she said. She is keen to target the root cause of the problem - those who drop litter, or throw it out of their car windows. "It's all very well setting up litter picking groups, but there doesn't seem to be enough of a campaign about reaching out and educating people and highlighting this," she said. "Someone said, 'We need a Marcus Rashford of the litter picking world', and they were right!" She says that the litter she picks up is mainly energy drink cans and bottles, indicating that it's younger people who are creating a lot of the mess. Another item that pickers are seeing a lot of at the moment is disposable masks. "What we would like to see happen is going back to publicity and campaigning. We need a joined-up campaign across schools. When I was a child we had things like Dusty Bin and The Wombles, and we need something like that again," she says. Support from Waverley.

Waverley Borough Council has been supportive of litter-picking events, lending out grabbers and sending out crews to clear the bags of rubbish that result from the picks. But all the while the tide of litter seems to be rising.

"But they have limited resources, and we need to see what the council can do at the moment. Is it that more litter is being dropped or is it that services are being reduced? Is it because of funding or is it because of Covid?" Kate asks.

She agrees there seems to be a greater awareness of litter in our towns and villages, and this, she thinks, may be down to the lockdowns.

"Is it because a lot more people have become aware of nature in the past year? Maybe people are slowing down and looking at the bushes and looking at the hedgerows," she says.

She is keen to make contact, via the Facebook page, with people who can help spread the word - to schools, Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides, as well as other youth groups such as, for example, youngsters working towards the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

She' d like to hear from "anybody who's got ideas, who might know people who can help - just join the conversation," she says.

"It doesn't mean you are going to be committed yourself to so many hours a month. Perhaps people who go out running can report back on particular trouble spots. Not everybody who joins the group needs to be a superhero without a cape!"

To join the conversation, visit the Litter Pickers Facebook page.