Hubbub launches cyclist sculpture made of litter in Forest of Dean I Press Release I Hubbub

Press release

CYCLIST SCULPTURE MADE OF LITTER GREETS FOREST OF DEAN V I S I T O R S A S PA R T O F A N T I - L I T T E R C A M PA I G N ‘ L O V E YOUR FOREST’ This September, a cyclist with a difference will be meeting visitors exploring the Forest of Dean to raise awareness of littering in the forest. As part of the rural anti-litter campaign ‘Love Your Forest’, environmental charity Hubbub has unveiled an art installation representing the biking community, which makes use of the beautiful trails and cycling lanes available in the Forest of Dean.

The intriguing sculpture, by artist Michelle Reader, is made from old bike parts and discarded pieces of litter which can be commonly found in the forest. It has been made possible with funding from local soft drinks manufacturer Lucozade Ribena Suntory and is hosted by the Forestry Commission at its Cannop Cycle Centre, managed by Pedalabikeaway.

From there, it will be greeting Forest of Dean visitors, with the aim to remind people to take their litter home and dispose of it responsibly.

Each year 250 tonnes of rubbish are removed from the Forest of Dean area, costing the District Council alone £430k per year.

Trewin Restorick, CEO of Hubbub, says: “Through this campaign, we have met lots of people who are really keen to prevent littering in the forest and do their bit to keep it clean. The Forest of Dean offers a vast cycling terrain and beautiful walking trails, which still too often are littered with rubbish. This sculpture is an innovative and fun way to engage with the visitors and remind them, whether they are biking or walking along the tracks and trails, to help keep this beautiful forest litter free.”

Heather Lilley, Community and Communications Officer at Forestry Commission, said: “The Forestry Commission have been partners in the Love Your Forest Campaign for 3 years now working with different communities to organise litter picks and highlight litter issues across the Forest of Dean. This innovative and fun sculpture is a great opportunity to spread the message to another sector of our community and ask everyone who uses our forest bike trails to respect the beautiful woods they cycle through and to take their litter home.”

Gareth Sheppard, Director of Pedalabikeaway, Cannop Cycle Centre, said: “Pedalabikeaway run Cannop Cycle Centre and staff spend hours each week litter picking especially at the start and end of trails and around the centre. We’re really pleased to host the new sculpture on site reminding people to take care of the bike trails. If everyone acts

responsibly and, instead of dropping their drink bottle, gel wrapper or broken bike parts keeps hold of them until they come off the trails and then recycle or put them in the bin, we’ll keep the woods looking fabulous’.

The ‘Love Your Forest’ campaign was launched in April by 4X World Champion racer Katy Curd at the annual Forest Activities Festival, where she exchanged trash for treats from Hubbub’s ‘Trashconverter’, a redesigned horse box acting as an information hub for the duration of the campaign.

Since April, the Trashconverter has toured the Forest of Dean, visiting 38 different locations such as schools, parks and tourist hotspots, to engage with local communities and to provide advice on how to reduce litter in the forest. 2654 residents and visitors have been exchanging their trash for treats, thereby collecting the equivalent of 65 bags of litter.

Love Your Forest aims to be a community-owned campaign, with multiple local groups running Love Your Forest events and activities. If you’re a biker, a local bike-related business or a community group wishing to get involved in the #LoveYourForest campaign, contact jack@ hubbub.org.

Anyone interested in a visit from the Trashconverter should contact Hubbub at hello@hubbub. org.uk.

People wishing to volunteer for litter picks should contact forestersforest@fvaf.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS For more information contact Hubbub.

ABOUT LOVE YOUR FOREST Love Your Forest is an anti-litter campaign launched in 2016 and run by environmental charity Hubbub and funded by Lucozade Ribena Suntory. The campaign is supported by the Forest of Dean District Council, the Forestry Commission, Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Tourism, and Foresters’ Forest.

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LoveYourForest/

ABOUT HUBBUB Hubbub is a charity which explores innovative ways to interest mainstream consumers in important sustainability issues, through different ‘hubs’ of activity: Food; Fashion; Homes; Neighbourhoods. Hubbub’s previous campaigns have included #SquareMileChallenge, the UK’s first large scale solution to coffee cup recycling, #GiftABundle to get pre-loved baby clothes back into circulation and #PumpkinRescue to encourage more people to eat the carvings from their Halloween Pumpkins. www.hubbub.org.uk Twitter: @hubbubuk

LUCOZADE RIBENA SUNTORY Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) is one of the largest soft drinks suppliers in the UK and Ireland.

Its much-loved brands include Lucozade Energy, Lucozade Sport, Ribena and Orangina.

Located in the heart of the Forest of Dean, LRS’s Coleford factory has been producing greattasting drinks since 1946. The business is driven by its “Yatte Minahare” spirit. Its role is to have a positive impact on the lives of consumers by providing them with a responsible choice of great-tasting drinks, and enabling them to lead more active lifestyles. For further information, please visit www.lrsuntory.com.

FOREST OF DEAN DISTRICT COUNCIL CALL TO ACTION: Anyone who witnesses littering in the district should report it to the Customer Services Team on 01594 810000 or email council@fdean.gov.uk and include as much detail as possible about the incident. For further information go to www.fdean.gov.uk

THE FORESTRY COMMISSION: The Forestry Commission England is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. Further information can be found at www. forestry.gov.uk/england

T H E F O R E S T E R S F O R E S T: The Foresters Forest is a Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership programme, formed from an association of partner organisations and local community groups within the Forest of Dean www.forestersforest.uk. People wishing to volunteer for litter picks should contact forestersforest@fvaf.org.uk

WYE VALLEY AND FOREST OF DEAN TOURISM: Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism was formed in 2006 and is the official Destination Management Organisation representing the interests of over 300 members. Managed by a 10-strong voluntary board, supported by professional advisors, the Forestry Commission and the AONB, it is funded by member subscriptions, the Forest of Dean District Council, Monmouthshire Council (via VisitWales), the Forestry Commission, and grant funding for specific projects.