Little litter pick champs praised for spruce up in Padiham park

Five-year-old Freya Granby-Seal was so shocked at all the rubbish on the park where she was playing in Padiham, near to her grandmother's home, she decided to stage a clean up.

And as soon as Freya and her grandma, Sonia Slimmon, returned with a bag to the play area at the top of Beech Street, they were joined by three other little litter champs.

The trio were 11-year-old Harrison Dalby, his sister Ella Dalby, who is nine, and their step sister Alexa Whittaker who is 10.

Sonia said: "I was very pleasantly surprised to find the other children hard on my heels with handfuls of litter.

"They accompanied Freya and myself as we completed a lap of the playground. There is a bin in the park but I think a lot of the rubbish gets blown back out.

"It's nice to acknowledge children and praise them when they do something good especially as there has been quite a bit of negativity regarding kids in general, especially during the ease of lockdown."

Freya has just completed reception year at St Peter and St Paul's Primary School in Rishton where she lives with her parents who are both keyworkers.

Harrison goes to Shuttleworth High School and Ella is a pupil at Padiham Primary School. Alexa goes to St Paul's Primary School in Nelson.

Roxanne Newton, who is Harrison and Ella's mum and stepmum to Alexa, said: "They are really good kids and it's nice for them to be recognised for doing good things."