A litter picker who spends her holidays cleaning up after other people says she just wants to give back to the places that mean so much to her.
Bev Lasckey-Hill, 53, from Hull comes north of the border for holidays with her husband and while she is walking around she picks up other people’s litter.
Mrs Lasckey-Hill, who is a waitress at home, says it is a great way of getting out and about and meeting the locals.
She, and her boat-spotting husband Patrick, are regular visitors to both Portlethen in Aberdeenshire and Oban.
They got married at Barcaldine Castle, near Oban and enjoy both areas for both walking and boat spotting.
Cost of living crisis
After being inspired to take on a challenge by two fundraising Scots under the banner of Our Spectrum Adventures, who are walking from John O’Groats to Land’s End, she set up with her bright pink trolley to clean up.
She said: “I am the litter-picking lady with the bright pink cart.
“With the cost of living crisis and my part-time wages as a waitress it was difficult to find money to give to Our Spectrum Adventure campaign, so I decided to do something myself.
“I want to do something that doesn’t cost money – and litter picking is perfect for that.
“We love visiting Aberdeenshire and before I came up last time, I got in touch with Mark Gracie at the council and he helped me get a route.
“I avoided the beaches as they get regular people litter-picking at them. And I ended up working around industrial estates and picking up bags of rubbish which the council then collected.”
When Mrs Lasckey-Hill was coming to Oban for a holiday, she posted on Keep Oban Beautiful Facebook page, asking for advice on where to litter pick.
She said: “I was asked to start up in Soroba and I worked around Shuna Terrace. And it was not bad. It is a lot better than Hull, let me tell you.
“I then worked down the road to around the back of the high school and it was very good.”
Making friends as well as litter picking
Saying she was “pleasantly surprised” at how tidy most areas were – she said she was met by another litter picker at the path between the rugby pitch and the golf course.
Mrs Lasckey-Hill is currently working in and around the town centre.
Finding a number of “grot spots” she said it was a great way to get outside and walking on a holiday, while doing good for the area.
“I have had a wonderful break away from Hull. We are already making plans to be back in April. We can’t wait.”
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