AN ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner from Bude is encouraging everyone to get involved in a brand new challenge to start the new year.

Paul Crum, organiser of Bude Rubbish Action Group (BRAG), is encouraging anyone of all physical abilities to get involved in his challenge for January — the ‘bread bag challenge’.

This challenge involves people picking up what they can from the streets and filling whatever sort of bag they have with litter — from a bread bag, to a rucksack or a large bin bag — in order to keep their local streets clean and tidy.

Paul, who has been encouraging local residents in and around Bude, as well as the BRAG members, to get involved in the January challenge, said the idea was inspired by Keep Britain Tidy, of which he is a ‘litter heroes ambassador’.

“The whole idea of this is to get any kind of bag — doesn’t have to be a bread bag, it could be a regular bag, a rucksack or even a large bin bag,” Paul told the Post. “Since I first posted about it on the BRAG Facebook page, it’s been so successful. It’s not only encouraging cleanliness around the streets, but basic health too. Anyone can do this challenge — they don’t have to have a litter picker.”

Paul said the health benefits are one of the main reasons he was so keen to launch the challenge. “It encourages basic health, because people, when they’re doing this, are bending down to get to the litter and then putting it in a bag,” he continued. “Some of the people who have been taking part are getting a bin bag full of rubbish. It’s getting people out in the fresh air and keeping active. Anybody can do it, and they can use any sort of bag — you can take part walking to school, to the gym or the shops.”

BRAG hold regular litter picks around Bude in order to rid the town of litter and rubbish in the streets, which ultimately causes detrimental harm to local wildlife and the environment in the long-run.

Paul said: “Of course, I’d always encourage people to join litter picks, but this challenge just allows anyone to get involved whenever they can!

“What I get out of it, you get into the zone. Litter picking is totally relaxing, and it’s beneficial to yourself. Litter has an effect on wildlife, but also social wellbeing. It’s so good to get out and about, in the fresh air, doing something good for the environment.”

To get involved in BRAG’s bread bag challenge, which runs until January 31, all you need to do is grab any kind of bag, and collect litter from local pavements and streets during a walk.

Paul also encourages anyone getting involved to post photos from their challenge to the BRAG Bude Rubbish Action Group Facebook page.