Wick man given national recognition as litter-picking local hero
A national environmental charity has awarded a Wick man with a Clean Up Scotland Hero award for his efforts to keep the town litter-free.
Allan Bruce from Thurso Road has been instrumental in keeping his local area tidy and helping to reverse the country’s litter emergency as part of the Keep Scotland Beautiful campaign.
Three years ago, he organised his first Spring Clean event and has continued ever since, with the latest event involving 35 local volunteers.
Allan is no stranger to solo litter picking either, regularly coming home with bags of rubbish long before he ever organised his first big event.
He is also the vice chair of Wick Paths Group whose purpose is to maintain local walkways for everyone to access and enjoy. The group has fundraised and been able to purchase a lot of equipment to maintain paths and to use for litter picks.
In January 2023, Allan was a winner of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s partnership with behaviour change app LitterLotto. With his £500 winnings, Allan purchased litter pickers and rubbish bag hoops for two local primary schools.
Through his role as a member of the local community council, he has attended primary and secondary school seminars to discuss topics such as keeping the town tidy, as well as organising a competition for school pupils to design posters to encourage dog owners to pick up their dog waste.
Donna, Allan’s wife who nominated him for the award, said: “Allan’s such a well-known person in the community, so when he does put out a plea for help he gets a lot of people coming forward.
“But he doesn’t just wait for people to come to him: he’s proactive and gets other people involved.”
Keen to get young people helping, Allan was able to purchase 50 litter pickers and bag hoops for local schools to do litter picks.
Donna added: “After that, Allan wrote to the teacher [with] a letter to the pupils to thank them for what they’d done and the impact on their community. So it’s for education as well. They didn’t just do it and forget about it; they actually got thanked for it and [received] a little bit of information about why it’s so important.”
Barry Fisher, chief executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “I am incredibly pleased to award Allan with our Clean Up Scotland Hero award. He is a great role model for everyone and really deserves this recognition for his enduring determination.
“Scotland has a litter emergency, so it is more important than ever that we look after our beautiful country and keep it clean and tidy. Our latest report found that 90 per cent of people believe litter is an issue across the country, so we all have a responsibility to play our part.
“We know how much people care about our environment, and I hope that Allan’s award encourages others to get involved and help us keep Scotland beautiful.”
Chrissie Jeffery, Scottish lead for Helping Hand, said: “As the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of quality, sustainable litter clearance tools and equipment, our commitment to environmental responsibility is at the forefront of our mission.
“Since 2014, we have taken immense pride in championing the Hero of the Month Award, a platform that recognises the extraordinary dedication of individuals and organisations striving to Keep Scotland Beautiful.
“Today, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the latest winner, Allan, and we will be sending him a sustainable litter-picking kit to help continue his remarkable efforts in contributing to the collective goal of fostering a cleaner, greener Scotland.
“We believe in empowering those who share our passion for environmental stewardship, and it is truly inspiring to witness the positive influence these heroes have on their communities.”
If you know someone who deserves to be recognised, visit Clean Up Scotland | Get Involved | Nominate a Hero (keepscotlandbeautiful.org) for more information.
Keep Scotland Beautiful is a charity that inspires action to combat climate change, tackle litter and waste, restore nature and biodiversity and improve places.
