Litter Free Leeds: The day I joined the purple army to help clean up a corner of your city

And it is hiding in plain sight.

Just look around - once you have noticed it, you can't un-notice it.

It is a constant blight on your community - a never-ending dirty, and at times smelly, cycle of dropped litter by a minority of people who don't think it’s their problem or simply don't believe in civic pride.

Your city is fighting back, thanks in part to the work of Litter Free Leeds.

I joined the Pudsey group on a litter pick to see first-hand the scale of the problem.

My journey starts on a drizzly, grey spring day on Green Lane off Tong Road in Lower Wortley, where I meet Rebecca Thresh, one of the co-ordinators of Litter Free Pudsey along with a band of merry souls all keen to make a difference.

The group was challenging itself to clean up the route of the number 4 bus on Tong Road from Armley Gyratory to Whingate junction over three days as part of the Leeds Goes Purple event.

And within minutes of saying hello, five empty used cannisters of nitrous oxide - laughing gas - are discovered discarded among the undergrowth.

These are kept separate from the bags of rubbish that are collected, one of which is filled within ten minutes as Rebecca and I walk to her car through the labyrinth of paths through the Clyde estate in Lower Wortley.

Out of the boot, I am handed a purple Litter Free Pudsey tabard, litter grabber and purple bag - and that is me feeling part of the purple army and with it an immediate sense of camaraderie and belonging.

Over the next two and a half hours, the litter pick proves relentless.

The sheer scale of the issue is quickly revealed - litter is everywhere - as we work to fill the bags.

Alone in your thoughts, the issue throws up a gambit of emotions ranging from anger and rage, through to confusion as to how people can live surrounded by rubbish and a determination to make a difference.

The litter you find is itself a talking point. Everything from discarded empty condom packets, Covid masks, takeaway boxes, scores of empty water bottles and can after can after can of fizzy drinks and beer, as well as drug paraphernalia. I even picked up an empty CD case for a Bob Marley album.

The group comes together to tackle a particular litter-heavy grot spot outside a shop while cars drive past, beeping their horns in support of your efforts.

The litter pick ends with a total of 46 bags of rubbish being collected as well as a shopping trolley and a microwave oven. They are left at the side of litter bins for the council’s neighbourhood teams to move.

The experience proved cathartic at times - you can have an instant impact on an area - which provides a sense of satisfaction.

It also importantly opened my eyes to the problem and the need for the public to take responsibility and take pride in their neighbourhood.

‘People are doing good things all over Leeds’

I spoke to Little Free Pudsey volunteer Rebecca Thresh, who said some of the most shocking things they’ve found are drugs, weapons - including bullets - and drugs paraphernalia.

“I don’t see it as a challenge, I see it as cathartic,” she said.

“I do it for my mental health - it really helps me when I’ve cleaned up an area. The challenge is that when you’ve done it, it doesn’t stay like that for long, which is unfortunate. But we don’t stop.

“We’re Little Free Pudsey, which is just one arm of Litter Free Leeds. There’s lots and lots of people who are doing good things all over Leeds.”

For more on the work of Litter Free Pudsey visit the group’s facebook page: Litter Free Pudsey

Andy joined Litter Free Pudsey as the Yorkshire Evening Post launches its In Your Corner series, visiting suburbs across the city to explore the issues that matter to you. From visiting a historic church that’s at the heart of the Armley community, to meeting the independent businesses bringing Cross Gates to life, we’re shining a spotlight on the people of Leeds who bring every corner of our city together.