A NEW group is hoping to tackle litter on Bude’s streets.

Set up by Paul Bicky Crum, from Bude, Bude Rubbish Action Group (BRAG) is hoping to clear Bude’s streets, roads, pavements and town centre of litter and rubbish that is becoming such a problem — tying in nicely with Bude’s huge reputation for beach cleans and marine groups.

The group has a Facebook page, which has gained over 150 members in a short space of time. It states that by picking up the ‘forgotten litter’ in alleyways, scrublands and pathways in Bude and the surrounding villages, this will prevent the litter from finding its way into the sea and being part of the big problem that is affecting the marine environment, which has been highlighted in the national media, television and locally.

Paul was approached by A Greener Bude chairman, Deb Rosser — founder of the ReFILL scheme and leader of Crooklets’ CR*P beach clean group — to lead a group to tackle the town’s litter problem inland.

Paul said: “I really love beach cleaning and clean with Widemouth Task Force (led by Ado Shorland) and CR*P Beach Care groups (which are part of the Keep Britain Tidy scheme).

“I am a good friend of Wayne and Koda (a man and his dog, who travelled across the UK to tackle the country’s marine pollution) and he stayed with my family for several nights when he was travelling through Bude on his epic coastline adventure, picking litter around the UK coast. He really inspired me and made me realise what we are doing to our planet.”

A Greener Bude is a new concept with plenty of projects aiming to make the town a greener and more sustainable place, including a scheme with Coastal Recycling, promoting composting, encouraging eating and drinking businesses to use sustainable items in their outlets and more. When Deb asked Paul to be involved in A Greener Bude with yet another project, he was delighted.

“Deb Rosser from A Greener Bude approached me to see if I would lead a brand new project that she wanted to launch in Bude — to clean Bude town and its green spaces,” he continued.

“A lot of the rubbish we pick off the beaches in Bude gets washed down from inland and gets into all the streams and rivers that flow down to our beaches and into the sea.

“Litter also blows down to the sea from our urban areas. If we can keep our town litter free, then our beaches and oceans benefit too. A Greener Bude is not just about the marine environment!”

Paul explained that the main aim for BRAG is to rid inland Bude of litter and rubbish, to ensure both local land and sea is kept clean and safe for all. “The aims of the group really are to get inland Bude litter and rubbish free,” he said. “If people see beautiful verges, our alleys and paths clear of rubbish, they will be less likely to drop their litter, or they will in turn pick up others’ mess.”

Litter can also get blown out of bins and bags, or from refuse and recycling lorries, adding to the problem. “But if everyone helps by picking up when they see something that shouldn’t be in the environment, it will make a massive difference to our town,” Paul added. “A clean town with clean green spaces will give us a greener Bude.”

The Facebook page, BRAG Bude Rubbish Action Group, is now up and running — and anyone can join. A Greener Bude will also be sharing the group’s litter picking events on their social media.

Paul added: “I love Bude. I am proud to be helping in our community.”

For further information about the group and future litter picks, contact the group’s admin through their Facebook page.

BRAG’s first official clean will take place on Saturday, April 21, with the group meeting at Splash car park at 11am. From there, they will tackle the paths and alleys from Bude Junior School to Morrisons.