Created in January of 2021, the aim of Vectis Womble Association has been to encourage residents to get out and help keep the Isle of Wight tidy of litter.
Each week, whether roadside, coast or countryside, countless bags of litter are collected by eager Vectis Wombles – many of whom have been doing this kind of thing for years.
The Group (now with 879 members) was set up during Lockdown by Jon Jewett (whose name you might recognise from the Woodland Journeyman mini-series), who admits that he hasn’t been on it for a while, which goes to show how much the community have embraced the idea.
Jewett: Connecting all these extraordinary people together
Jon told News OnTheWight that he set up the group “after a righteous litter pick of my road last Christmas,” adding,
“I think Lockdown was starting to get to me. The group pottered along for a little way until I got some friends in to admin, then with all their invites it slowly grew.
“We tried some organisation, which worked to varying success, but in the end life returned to some sort of normal, so we’ve stepped back somewhat and allowed it to do its thing.
“The main thing was to just create a platform that could connect all these extraordinary people together, they’ve been doing it for decades, not really knowing if they were alone in their endeavours.”
Busy Womblers
A scroll through the Vectis Womble Association’s social media group and you’ll see many posters talking about the amount of fast food takeaway litter, as well as empty bottles of vodka being dumped in layby hedgerows.
An added bonus
Sue Nye is a keen Vectis Wombler, but hadn’t been able to get out much in the last four months. She recently got back into the swing of things, saying,
“Having only had time for a little bit of local wombling in the last four months I thought I would get back into it and clear up the road leading from the Downs down to the Garlic Farm.
“Two full sacks, one with recycling. A fly tipped stable door complete with lock, key and hinges and just down from that a load of tipped timber. I have reported these.
“Finally I didn’t get any thank yous today, but I did find a £5 note!”
Reporting fly tipping
A reminder that if you spot something that has been fly tipped you can report it via the Fix My Street App.
Island Roads are informed and generally assess fairly quickly.
Top Image: Ella Baxter under CC BY 2.0
