feature Tim Stebbing Most of us are familiar with the sight of Tim on his bicycle, collecting up the rubbish which careless members of the community have dropped. Tim has been doing this since he retired about 8 years ago. Tim was born in Bury St Edmunds above the family Baker’s shop, but when his grandfather died the business was sold and the proceeds split between his children. After the closure of the shop, Tim’s family moved to Billericay where his father continued as a baker. They also lived in Weston Turville (near Aylesbury), Luton and subsequently Bournemouth, where Tim attended the Portchester School for boys. To earn pocket money Tim spent his Friday nights working at his father’s bakery – most of the time producing doughnuts. After leaving school, he obtained a full engineering apprenticeship with the Ministry of Technology. As there was a three month wait before he could begin, he spent the time working at the bakery as a part-time pie and tart maker. Once he completed his apprenticeship, he returned to the bakery as an engineer in the maintenance department for about 10 months. He then took a maintenance job in Bristol, in a large bakery, where he stayed for 9½ years. He then took on a job at Tesco, Cheshunt. However, selling the family home in Bristol proved difficult, so for 18 months he travelled weekly from Bristol to Bury St Edmunds spending Monday to Thursday nights with his uncle, then commuting daily to Cheshunt, until eventually the house was sold. The family then moved to Melbourn in 1981. Tim retired early, but was persuaded to continue working at Tesco on a part-time basis training potential maintenance engineers, which he did for 5½ years. Tim’s first foray into litter picking came about whilst organising a family party. Conscious of the mess around the village, Tim began picking up litter whilst out walking his dog. He informed the Parish Council of what he was doing and they supplied him with the necessary black bin bags and suggested places the filled bags could be left and then collected by the District Council. After 3½ years of litter picking Tim was subcontracted by the Parish Council. Tim has kept detailed records for the parish council of where and what rubbish he has collected. Unfortunately, his records show there has been an escalation in the amount of litter collected each year. In 2013 he collected 215 bags of rubbish, a year later there was an increase of 33 bags, but in 2015 the number had grown to 503. Part of this trend is due to the increase in the number of fast food outlets in the area. Tim is finding more pizza boxes, McDonalds containers, Costa and Burger King debris, takeaway coffee containers along with cans and bottles and much of this litter is not biodegradable. A large amount is found in tucked away ‘hotspots’ in the
village usually where cars can be parked – the occupants eat, drink and then dump the rubbish. Fortunately, throughout the rest of the village attitudes have improved – simply by clearing up, people have become more aware of the problem. He also carries out surveys, checks for damaged fences, gates etc., and keeps an eye on the play areas. Evidence of drug use (a problem everywhere) can also be seen in Melbourn, again at various ‘hotspots’ around the village. The amount of ‘dopebags’ (plastic ziplock bags) found has increased from 266 to 294 in three years. Metal ‘sparklet’ containers filled with nitrous oxide, (popularly known as laughing gas) are a frequent find. It’s not just litter Tim has removed from our village – he clears roadside drains and has also had the unenviable task of removing a number of dead animals. Tim also reports on numerous issues that he comes across when travelling around Melbourn which include blocked gullies, broken fences and vandalism. Fly tipping is another problem; in London Way he once came across four car windows leaning against trees in a copse. The effort employed to get them there could easily have been used to transport them to the tip! Perhaps his most noticeable success is the ‘Pink Poo Fairy’ campaign, where he sprays a pink biodegradable paint around offending dog poo, and adds a notice intended to encourage dog walkers to clear up after their dog, to warn of the dangers that dog mess can cause and not least – that it is an offence to leave it. Areas of particular concern are the walk to school routes. Tim’s campaign has certainly raised awareness, but it has also earned him some abuse. Thankfully most people in the village do appreciate Tim’s work and many actually thank him in appreciation of his efforts. In two years, Tim has travelled 1,340 miles repeatedly going around the whole of the village, often during the weekend. We would like to say… thank you very much Tim, from all of us. melbournmagazine
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