Woman to represent country in world 'plogging' event
A local activist is to represent Great Britain in an international plogging event, which involves picking up litter while jogging.
The environmental and fitness trend, which originated in Sweden in 2016, has since grown in popularity in other countries, including the UK.
The World Plogging Championships started in Italy in 2021, and Claire Petrie from Bristol hopes to compete in the games later this year.
"It's a brilliant way of looking after your physical and mental health and keeping active; meeting like-minded individuals at the same time as having a positive impact on your local community and also the planet," she said.
"We also want to grow plogging in the UK."
The four members of the GB team, supported by the environmental organisation, A Future Without Rubbish, and the charity, Planet Earth Games, recently kick-started their training with community events in Bristol, London and Exeter.
Members of the public, particularly those with an eye on competing with the team in future, have been encouraged to get involved, regardless of fitness levels.
Teams compete against each other to run the farthest and pick up the most rubbish.
"We like people to get a decent run in, so what we tend to do is run from A to B and then we'll stop at B, do a big litter pick, weigh what we've picked and then run back," added Ms Petrie, who co-ordinates monthly sessions in Horfield.
'Working together'
Luke Douglas-Home, founder of A Future Without Rubbish and known as the Coastline Runner, has been plogging for years, covering the UK's coastline and canals.
"I hope these city plogging events inspire others to get involved. Collecting rubbish and putting it in the bin is a tiny action - something we can all do, and it's this idea of working together that has such an impact," he said.
Countries are being invited to bid to host the fifth World Plogging Championships in 2025 and sponsors are being sought for a potential future games in the UK.
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