The Keep Abergavenny Tidy coffee and mince pies’ Christmas Social was enjoyed and celebrated by twenty five of its members at the Kings Arms earlier this month.

Some people were celebrating the festive season by wearing their Christmas jumpers; the whole occasion was a chance to socialise, have a good chat and get to know one another without concentrating on litter picking! One member there said she had been litter picking regularly for eleven years and the team also welcomed a new member who was keen to get involved.

Sue Parkinson, from Monmouthshire County Council had arranged payment to the Kings Arms for the Social as a gesture of thanks for all the hard work of the volunteers. Sandra Rosser, Abergavenny Town Clerk had arranged for the press to be present as it was National Volunteering Day; Emily McDonagh, the KAT partner from the police was on leave and could not be there.

Mike Hodges brought along a selection of high vis jackets, donated by MCC and printed with the KAT logo and paid by the Abergavenny Town Council.

These long sleeved jackets are an alternative to the sleeveless vests and are much warmer to wear in the winter months. There were some litter picks available, a long handled brush and pan (for collecting cigarette butts and broken glass) and a cart which could be pushed around and would allow some separation of cans and bottles from the rest.

All this gave rise to some lively discussion, including how much litter gets collected and reported to the Welsh Government. Mike has been doing the job of reporting on behalf of the group; over 3,000 bags of rubbish have been collected since the relaunch of the group in 2019.

Alongside this, there was discussion about a project started a year ago to encourage litter free zones in the town.

The Keep Abergavenny Tidy steering group meets monthly at the Kings Arms and the care, helpfulness and friendliness of Jon and Sacha Child and their staff is greatly appreciated.