The New Forest is a wonderfully unique and famous area that needs protection. New Forest needs help to ensure this ancient landscape is properly maintained and safeguarded. This is where New Forest community heroes come in.
The New Forest Ambassador Scheme
The New Forest Ambassador Scheme was created and implemented in partnership with the New Forest District Council and parish councils as more people wanted to get involved in taking care of the Forest.
The ambassadors work to maintain the National Park litter-free, inform visitors about the New Forest Code, and report issues.
The program offers a wonderful chance to discover the New Forest, make friends with like-minded individuals, and feel accomplished for contributing to the improvement of the National Park.
What Do New Forest Community Heroes Do?
The New Forest National Park is a popular place to live and visit for many people. The area’s rich culture and history, open heathland, woods, beautiful coast, and unique wildlife are much loved by all – and many are keen to help in practical ways.
All ambassadors have reasons for joining New National Forest, some for mental peace, others looking for exercise, care for the Forest, or something to do.
Alongside welcoming people to the New Forest, making them understand and respect it is important. Many local community heroes are already picking up litter and monitoring issues as they happen.
New Forest Local Community Litter Heroes
Local community litter heroes and New Forest groups encourage everyone to help the local community and contribute to the New Forest.
These community heroes want to enable and encourage people to pick up litter in their community safely, so they have put together litter-picking kits, each with a picking guide, bags, a hi-vis jacket, and a litter picker. They are available free of charge, can be picked up, and can recycle a lot of rubbish.
Gavin Parker, the chair of the New Forest National Park Authority, said: “We are grateful to those who generously volunteer their time to improve and maintain the Forest. Any trash left in our National Park can significantly negatively impact by igniting wildfires, contaminating the land and streams, and harming domestic animals and wildlife. We sincerely appreciate the ongoing commitment of our ambassadors, local trash-picking organizations, and volunteers who worked diligently to pick up litter all year. Anyone may participate in taking care of the Forest, and we are encouraging more families, towns, and organizations to join our coordinated effort to clean up the Forest.”
Litter heroes work extremely hard, seven days a week, to keep the land clean and tidy for residents and visitors. They also work with partners to challenge littering and support volunteers passionate about protecting the New Forest.
“Litter in our area can cause great harm to people and wildlife and is expensive to clean up,” said Cllr. David Russell, portfolio holder for people and places at NFDC. As a council, we are dedicated to collaborating with our neighborhood to combat litter pollution and safeguard our local environment for future generations.”
The response from the local community to tackle litter continues to be incredible, and they are keen to support efforts to clean up the district safely.
“Litter has no place in a Forest; it affects wildlife and destroys the scenery,” stated Craig Harrison, Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest, Forestry England. Every day, our team finds it and gathers everything from food packaging to electrical equipment.”
An army of local litter heroes, local community organizations, and individuals who regularly donate their time to pick up litter has tremendously helped them in recent years. They have worked hard, and we are very grateful for their help maintaining this precious location.”
Anyone who wants to keep the Forest clean is encouraged to participate in the New Forest Spring Clean. Locals and businesses also significantly impact by ensuring people check if their garbage carrier is licensed and properly dispose of waste.
Your contribution will make a difference. Please keep in mind that you should always put your safety first. If you’re organizing a clean-up, don’t forget to seek the landowner’s approval and abide by health and safety regulations to keep you and your volunteers safe while picking up rubbish.
