Waking up and being on the radio at 7am for my Wednesday breakfast show is admittedly easier now the mornings are lighter. I always walk to the Radio Woking Studios at the Winston Church Hill School as this allows me time to wake myself up on the way.
I love walking along St John’s Road first thing in the morning and immersing myself in the sound of the birds chirping way happily with no traffic and nobody about, apart from the odd runner, dog walker or worker heading to the railway station.
Being out in the fresh air is important, especially if, like me, you work from home. Finding time to get away from my laptop and take a walk is not only good for our physical health but also mental health as well.
I was reading in this paper about the group in Chobham who recently conducted a litter pick in their area, as part of the Keep Britain Tidy spring-clean campaign.
Reading about this, and the items they found, much of which could be recycled, it was heart warming to know that there are people out there who are willing to give their area some TLC and remove this litter, but also stirred a sense of anger that people still think it is acceptable to drop litter.
It's an age-old problem and a battle to keep our community tidy. We know that litter is not only unsightly, it can pose a danger to wildlife, especially on waterways along the Basingstoke canal, one of my favourite local places to walk.
There was a recent campaign to remind us not to throw rubbish from cars on motorways. This poses an added danger to the workers who have to remove it, and the impact that may have on traffic if lanes need to be shut to protect workers.
Having gone out on a litter-pick with the Woking Litter Warriors I have seen how bad this problem is. All sorts of items end up in hedges and verges, some of which are disgusting and even dangerous.
The number of bags collected always amazes me. I was also mindful that very quickly more litter appears, which can be disheartening if volunteers have spent time clearing it. If we all took our litter home with us, our communities would remain beautiful for us to enjoy our spring walks.
Listen to the Sunny Sessions, the inclusive radio show from The Sunnybank Trust on Surrey Hills Community Radio Monday and Thursday 11am and on the first Monday of each month at 9pm.
Sunny Sessions is also on Radio Woking every Wednesday at 9am.
My Radio Woking shows are Wednesday breakfast 7am to 9am and Sunday mornings 9am to midday.
If you want to take part in my radio shows you can reach me on email at [email protected]