Julian Harman is hoping to raise £1,000 in the next couple of months to pay for signage in Camelford’s hotspots for litter and rubbish, after discovering just how bad the problem is around the area.
Julian, who used to run a greengrocers in Camelford town, started picking litter with his friend Peter Hicks at Davidstow, after a load of rubbish was dumped there. Since then, along with members of Plastic Free Camelford, litter picks have also taken place around Mount Camel, as well as other locations in and around the town.
“After we did the initial clean, we were shocked to see how much rubbish was actually there,” Julian said while showing the Post just how bad the situation is, as he drove around Camelford. He stopped at a big layby just outside of Camelford, which include a couple of picnic tables for people to rest. He explained: “People are encouraged to pull over and take a break, but they don’t put any bins there.”
Just a glance at the hedgerows gives an idea of the amount of litter that is lying around in the countryside — a shirt dangled from a tree, an empty drinks can and crisp and sweet wrappers to name just a few.
Julian continued: “When you start picking, it’s evident just how much is there.
“I picked up 15 wing mirrors along one stretch of road. People are throwing it out of their car windows. There’s a wine bottle just there — that hasn’t just floated into the countryside.”
The main rubbish items found around town include beer cans, bottles, crisp packets and takeaway food packaging. Julian said: “It’s not very good advertising for tourists. We are one of the main routes into Cornwall here.”
He believes the signage needs to be modified to relate to Camelford to ensure people think again before leaving their litter in the countryside. “We want a more hitting image, not just letters on a board to say littering is bad. We want to put Camelford on the map.
“There has been more of an effort recently (looking after the environment), and the town council do seem to be supporting it. It’s just getting people to be more aware. I try not to get too involved in town things, but the litter thing really bugs me.”
Julian says that one of the main issues surrounding the litter problem is the lack of rubbish bins in the area. He said: “Apart from the park there are very few bins in town. The plastic and rubbish in the countryside affects the animals and environment. Cornwall is such a beautiful place, it’s a shame to ruin it. People have been picking it up, but we need to keep at it and it shouldn’t be left to the same people all the time.”
His message to those being careless with litter is: “If you want to live here and want to throw rubbish out your window, then we don’t want you here. There’s no need for it, really.
“It’s harmful to the animals and the environment. We really want people to come here and say it’s a really lovely place. When you go abroad to some places, you can see it’s a lovely, tidy place — if they can do it then so can we!”
The fundraiser is hoping to raise £1,000 to pay for two big signs in the layby just outside Camelford, one each end of town and one in the centre of town. These signs will encourage people to dispose of their litter responsibly and raise awareness of the problems that can be caused by manmade pollution.
Julian has been involved in litter picking for six months. “You do it once and then people say, ‘are you coming on the next one?’” he said. “We want people to come to the town and not to come here and say it’s full of rubbish, especially for those people who are trying to make a go of a business here.
“Camelford has never been a tourism town — we’ve got Tintagel and Boscastle nearby and we’ve not got the beaches like Bude and Rock. Camelford has not yet found something to bring people in, and that’s what the town council should be focusing on.
“I’ve lived here for 25 years — we should be a lot greener than we are, for sure. But for our fundraiser, we need support on that, and for people to keep promoting it. We need money behind it to make it happen.”
The fundraiser has already received a generous donation from Cornwall Councillor for Camelford, Rob Rotchell, and Julian only hopes that they can apply for local grant schemes in the near future, as well as receiving support from the community. They have set a target of two months to raise the funds needed for the signs. “Even if everybody donates a pound — that’s nothing! The population of Camelford is between 2,000 and 3,000 people. Camelford people are normally quite generous with helping their community.”
He added: “It looks quite clean and tidy around town at the moment, but it’s a shame we will have to do the bit of road and the layby again.”
Plastic Free Camelford held a litter pick in town on Sunday, March 17. For further details about the pick, pick up next week’s Post. You can visit the group’s Facebook page, Plastic Free Camelford.
To donate to the fundraiser, ‘Keeping Camelford Clean’, go to https://www.facebook.com/donate/315639199303413/?fundraiser_source=external_url