Asda introduces Picnic Rangers to encourage Brits to keep beauty spots beautiful
We've appointed a team of Picnic Rangers across the country to help communities love where they live – as well as urging people to picnic responsibly.
With more people expected to enjoy the great British outdoors as restrictions ease, the Asda Picnic Rangers – like Rifat Iqbal-Khan from our Slough store – will be hosting over 400 litter picks between now and the end of August. More than 8,000 people will take to their local parks to help clean up and encourage more people to look after their local environment.
Our Picnic Rangers have explored the regions of the UK and recommended hundreds of interesting and less well-known spots for people to picnic in sustainably and ensure they leave no trace when they go home.
Research shows that 30 million tonnes of litter is dropped in Britain every year, so the litter picks will help preserve local beauty areas and enable more people to experience the best of what the country has to offer.
Suzanne Roe, our Senior Manager, Better Communities, said: “We know that last summer many of the beaches, parks and beauty spots across the UK were left with litter strewn around at the end of long sunny days and weekends. I don’t think any of us want to see that this year, so we’ve enlisted our team of Picnic Rangers to help encourage to picnic responsibly.
"The Picnic Rangers will be coordinating over 400 litter picks across the country and will also be sharing the best kept local beauty spots for people to enjoy. We encourage people to visit their local Asda store to see when their next local litter pick is and to join us in keeping beauty spots beautiful for everyone.”
Rifat said: “I’ve really enjoyed sharing the best picnic locations in my local area and across the region. I hope that with the lockdown restrictions easing our local communities can start to enjoy what the great outdoors has to offer and explore the hidden gems across the country – but to do it in a responsible way.
"My most important tip is to remember that whatever you take with you when enjoying a picnic, you must take home.”
The Asda litter picks are organised as a simple act of community love and care, which Asda colleagues across the country regularly take part in and organise as a way of giving back to the local area. At the end of the summer, Asda will be donating benches made out of the recycled waste collected at the litter pick events to a park in each region across the UK. To find out when the next litter pick is in your area, visit the community board in your local Asda store.
Here are some of the beauty spots and hidden gems the Asda Picnic Rangers have mapped out as ideal picnic locations:
