St Albans Pickers

21/03/2026

We got over 50 reactions on our posts last week! And Facebook tells us we should be really excited by that. Woo woo! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

14/03/2026

Is New Greens looking clean or what?

17 volunteers out were out this morning at 8am, including:
⭐ 5 Duke of Edinburgh students
⭐ 3 fantastic primary school children
⭐ local residents of all ages

Working in small teams (with walkie-talkies!) we:

🧹 Cleared mud from pavements to widen the paths
🍾 Removed glass from road gullies
🗑 Collected wind-blown litter from Thursday’s gusts
♻ Moved recycling bins safely off the road so they don’t get crushed into more plastic waste

And yes… there really was a hoover and a chainsaw involved.

Afterwards we enjoyed pastries, sunshine and plenty of laughter.

Watch to the end to hear me murder Mamas & Papas - not with the chainsaw but my vocal chords 🎶

Batchwood Pickers – Caring Every Day

24/02/2026

Thanks for being such active supporters and making it on to our weekly engagement list! 🎉

Julie Adolph, Jon Mint, Alison Evans

21/02/2026

🌿 Saturday Post (Community-Positive!!!!!)

8am this morning we had 13 people out litter picking — including four Duke of Edinburgh students and one brilliant primary school pupil. We have now had 110 volunteers since we started almost 3 years ago.

Together we cleaned lots of places including the playing fields, Flint Way and Toulmin Drive.

It’s always encouraging to see young people giving their time to look after New Greens. 💚

Moments like this also remind us why having a well-designed, welcoming community hub matters.

After volunteering in the cold or rain, somewhere warm, accessible and properly equipped — with space to sit, make a drink, maybe share food — makes a real difference.

A community building should serve the people who use the fields every week:

• Volunteers
• Sports teams and supporters
• Dog walkers
• Families
• Young people completing Duke of Edinburgh
• Local residents

That’s why getting the fundamentals of the design right is so important.

It’s not about luxury — it’s about making sure the building genuinely supports the activity that already happens here.

If you’d like to read more about the design discussion or add your name to the petition, the link is in the comments.

Thank you again to everyone who came out this morning — especially our young volunteers. 🌿

Link https://stalbans.moderngov.co.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=49&RPID=5757566&HPID=5757566

14/02/2026

140 consecutive Saturdays.

No gaps.
No missed weeks.
Through rain, frost, school holidays and long weekends.

Batchwood Pickers now has 106 volunteers, including 40 children — and 8 Duke of Edinburgh volunteers giving their time to serve our community.

That’s:

🟢 140 group litter picks
🟢 140 Saturdays in a row
🟢 Thousands of bags of rubbish gone
🟢 Thousands of volunteer hours
🟢 A generation of young people learning to care for where they live

This is what community looks like.

Thank you to every single person who has put on a high-vis and stepped forward.

If you’ve been thinking about joining us — this is your sign.

We would be grateful if you would sign this petition so this strong community is not ignored nor sidelined.

https://stalbans.moderngov.co.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=49&RPID=5757566&HPID=5757566

11/02/2026

Hello friends, neighbours and fellow litter pickers who love our community,

Please would you sign this New Greens Residents’ petition to have a say in how £6.5 million is spent at the playing fields on a ‘community hub’ which, as it currently stands, will be two rooms on top of changing rooms. No cafe. No kitchen for preparing or cooking hot food.

And at best one lift and some stairs to reach it.

We would like to have a proper say in the design to serve all those in our community.

Thank you.

Damian

https://stalbans.moderngov.co.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=49&RPID=5757566&HPID=5757566

01/02/2026

GSI New Greens!

This weekend we were joined by our 8 dedicated Duke of Edinburgh volunteers and together we smashed the 2,500-hour mark of service to our community 💪💚

That’s 2,500 hours of litter-picking across New Greens, Ladies Grove and Oysterfields – right across the Batchwood Ward.

And yes… we’re looking the business in our high-vis, confidently taking the field. But just to be clear: this is not a search, not a forensic investigation, but it is “GSI New Greens” – Grime Scene Investigation.

Saturday morning walking the green spaces, roads and pathways, picking up, brushing up, hoovering up! the things everyday folk have left behind, because we care about where we live.

Huge thanks to our Duke of Edinburgh volunteers and the 100 plus volunteers who make up Batchwood Pickers for the energy, commitment and community spirit 👏🌱

28/12/2025

A huge Thanks and Shout-out to Batchwood Pickers of St Albans, both Saturday and Sunday teams collectively achieved 2400 hours of litter picking today!! 👏🏽🥇
So far, 104 volunteers have taken part since we started. We are glad and grateful to all our volunteers 💚💚
Join us Saturday 8-9am Christ Church St Albans or use our outside the church, borrow a litter picker anytime to do an impromptu pick any day of the week!

20/12/2025

Litter pickers, litter pickers, out on a sunny day,
Bright bags, happy chatter, helping nature every day.
Thirteen volunteers with smiles both wide and strong,
And today our 100th volunteer, joined our throng!

Litter pickers, litter pickers, working side by side,
Ryan earned his Duke of Edinburgh with well-deserved pride.
Cleaning up with caring hearts, bagging what we find,
Warm Thanks to Phillips Funeral Directors contributions, so kind!

If you also appreciate our dedication to keeping Batchwood clean and green, you can always help us out from your armchair by donating just a little: 👉https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/batchwoodlitterpickers

Thank you to Batchwood St Albans Pickers wonderful efforts today!
Have a warm and cosy Christmas, one and all! 😊🎄✨

Iʼm raising money to support the Batchwood Pickers community group in keeping St Albans clean and green.. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

14/12/2025

Dashing through the streets,
On Saturday and Sunday,
10 bags full of trash,
We’re cleaning up today!
Pick it up, pick it up,
We’re making the world shine!
Discarded clothes, broken glass,
Cleaning up just fine!
A jar of Marmite spilled,
But we’ll clean it in a flash,
Together we’re all proud,
To tidy up the trash!
Pick it up, pick it up,
We’re making the world shine!
14 volunteers today,
Cleaning up just fine!

Join every Saturday 8-9am Christ Church St Albans with a cuppa or two afterwards.

06/12/2025

On the sixth of December, in the fresh winter air,
A merry crew gathered with sparkle to spare.
They litter picked their way down the frosty roads
Filled eight bags till they near-burst with their loads!
A kitty litter box left all alone,
A fan that no longer belonged to a home,
Smashed glass bottles that twinkled like stars on the ground—
Were all picked away with good cheer abound
Eight adults, four teens and two children made up our team
Our warm Thanks to you all for keeping our neighbourhood clean and green!! 💚