Corinna Field on how a group of Winchmore Hill residents took it upon themselves to clean up their local area

Members of Winchmore Warriors with a trolley rescued from the New River and other bags of waste collected nearby

After a short break in Copenhagen earlier this year, I returned to Winchmore Hill feeling unexpectedly low. It didn’t take long to realise why: the spotless Danish streets were a stark contrast to the litter-covered roads and dog mess I found at home.

At a play date, another local mum – Leanne Van Niekerk – shared the same frustration. If nobody else was going to fix it, we realised we’d have to start ourselves – and the idea for ‘Winchmore Warriors’ was born. We’re just a group of locals who want to live our lives and raise our kids in a cleaner, safer, prouder place.

It’s been a labour of love, with some fantastic volunteers giving up their time. As a talented designer, Leanne designed our great logo. Ed from Winchmore Hill Residents’ Association has been wonderful, supplying litter pickers and the like. Our first meeting was hosted by the fantastic Natasha Heilig at Creative Scholars (a before-and-after school club) and we’ve since formed a weekly litter-picking crew — children included.

We’re out every week clearing rubbish and trying to spark a culture shift. Sadly, the litter often reappears as fast as we collect it, but we refuse to give up.

Litter isn’t just ugly, it actively damages communities. According to the charity Keep Britain Tidy, 66% of people wouldn’t feel safe walking a littered street at night, 86% would feel embarrassed to live there, 67% say it would harm their mental health, 87% would avoid buying or renting in such an area, and 78% believe litter drives away business investment. So yes, it really matters.

I asked a woman in Copenhagen how they keep their streets so clean. Her answer was simple: “It’s socially unacceptable to drop litter.”

Imagine that! We’d love to see Enfield Council step up. Their street cleaning team does a great job collecting our filled bags after each litter clean — but we need more. More bins, more frequent collections, more signage, actual enforcement. We want our local authorities to care as much as we do.

In the meantime, we’ll keep going – and we’d love your help. There’s no pressure, just show up when you can. And honestly? If everyone just stopped dropping litter, we’d all be better off. Join Winchmore Warriors and let’s clean up our act – together.

For more information and to get involved:
Email [email protected]

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