What Is This?

'Talking Out The Trash' is a volunteer group that's on a mission to make a difference to the community, and the people who live in it.

Once a fortnight we meet up in a pre-arranged location, then walk, talk and litter pick for around an hour or so.

It's completely free and anyone can join.

Our oldest wisest volunteer is 79.

Our youngest is 5.

And best of all, we support many of the town centre businesses... by going for a coffee or a beer afterwards 😉🍻☕

☝️☝️ A few of us outside of Orb soaking up the summer sun after stuffing 14 bags full of litter! ♻️♻️

What Do You Need?

There are just 2 things you need to join us on these picks...

• A litter picking stick (you can get one free from the council)
• An open mind and good heart never to judge, inflame or look down upon anyone else in the group

There's enough division in the world.

This group is stronger than that; it's about coming together, no matter your age, sex, ethnicity, ability, status or appearance.

We think it's great to make some new friends.

And so if you like the sound of that too?

Then hit the button below and sign up to keep on top of our litter picking events.

We can't wait to meet you!

I even managed to get my little niece and nephew along recently - and what a job they did! 🥰

Why Was Talking Out The Trash Born?

Litter stains our streets, parks and rivers across Darlington... but it doesn't have to stay that way.

One of the obvious reasons why I created this group was to make a difference to the town that we all live in.

So far, at the time of writing this, we've cleaned the streets of almost 300 bags worth of cans, bottles, plastics and the rest.

But Talking Out The Trash is more that just about trying to get a few of us to pick up some litter.

It's also about our health; physical and mental health.

In the UK:

• Almost 70% of us aren't reaching the NHS recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week.
• 14.1 million of us report feeling lonely (and this has a HUGE negative affect on health)
• 45.8 million of us report experiencing mental health difficulties in any given week; and...
• 61% of us don't access support (usually because of shame and stigma)

We can't fix everything, but together, we can do something.

Together, we can move, talk, and feel a part of something greater than our individual struggles.

And if you're ready to take the first step in joining us, then hit the link and sign up for all our updates below.

Here's A Few More Shots Of Our Work In Darlington

Alone, we can do a little... but together? We can do so much.