Leeds girl upset at sea turtle's plight launched her own litter pick campaign
A seven-year-old Leeds girl who was upset after watching a film about plastic pollution in the seas took up her dad’s lockdown challenge to do something positive to help the environment.
Chris Turner said his daughter Evie Koleszko Turner was watching the film on YouTube last May, and became upset after seeing a sea turtle stuck in waste plastic.
Chris told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “She loves nature and she loves animals.
“Sea turtles are her favourite creatures. She got quite upset about it.”
Chris then told Evie she could do something positive to help by picking litter up in the streets and parks around their home in Woodlesford.
He said: “I was expecting her to say no, but she was all for it.
“We went out that day and we picked up enough litter to fill three black bin bags.”
Stock controller Chris, 46, said his daughter, who is a pupil at Woodlesford Primary School, was keen to carry on her efforts and he has been out litter picking with her more than 20 times since May.
He said they go out litter picking for an hour or so around, once a fortnight.
Chris said the pair have been left shocked by the amount of rubbish thrown out of car windows and dumped on the nearby streets.
He said: “We fill at least one black bin bag every time we go out.
“We put what can be recycled in our recycling bin and chuck the rest in the black bin.”
Chris said they have also helped clean up litter from Woodlesford Park.
He said the litter mainly consists of crisp packets and empty cans of pop, adding: “It is pretty disgusting really. Just the amount of it.”
Chris said he and Evie’s mum Michelle Koleszko are impressed that Evie is continuing with her efforts to clean up the environment near their home in Leeds.
He said: “We are just dead proud of her, that she wants to do it all off her own back.”