Passionate litter picker plans to raise funds for charity while collecting rubbish during hike through Peak District and Derbyshire, including Bakewell and Matlock

A Chesterfield litter picker is planning to walk 500 miles to collect rubbish and raise funds for a local charity.
By Wiktoria Wrzyszcz
Published 30th Mar 2023, 13:43 GMT
Updated 30th Mar 2023, 13:44 GMT
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Lee Brassington, 40, of Brimington, who has been picking rubbish around Chesterfield since 2021 is now planning a 500 miles three-month-long charity litter pick.

Lee, who aims to walk around Derbyshire, the Peak District and parts of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire hopes to collect 5,000 kilograms of litter and raise £5,000 for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice – a charity supporting children with life-threatening and life shortening conditions.

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Ahead of the start of his charity walk on Monday, April 3, Lee said: “My passions are hiking, wild camping, seeing the world and litter picking so why not combine all of them and try to raise money for a worthy cause?

Lee Brassington, 40, of Brimington, who has been picking rubbish around Chesterfield since 2021 is now planning a 500 miles three-month-long charity litter pick.Lee Brassington, 40, of Brimington, who has been picking rubbish around Chesterfield since 2021 is now planning a 500 miles three-month-long charity litter pick.
Lee Brassington, 40, of Brimington, who has been picking rubbish around Chesterfield since 2021 is now planning a 500 miles three-month-long charity litter pick.

“I pick litter in Chesterfield every week. The real challenge will be raising £5,000 for charity – because of the cost of living crisis not many people want or can donate now.”

To get his fundraiser more publicity and keep people informed, Lee plans to post updates on his hike on the Brass Walks UK Facebook group.

He said: “I will ask people on Facebook about areas where there is the most litter and will go there to collect the rubbish. I have a list of places where I want to go, but it’s difficult to produce an exact route for my hike because it will change based on the suggestions by local people. I hope I will be able to plan my journey roughly a week ahead.”

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Places that Lee wants to go to include Matlock, Ripley, Bamford and Bakewell.

Lee, who aims to walk around Derbyshire, Peak District and parts of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire hopes to collect 5 000 kilograms of litter and raise £5 000 for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.Lee, who aims to walk around Derbyshire, Peak District and parts of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire hopes to collect 5 000 kilograms of litter and raise £5 000 for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.
Lee, who aims to walk around Derbyshire, Peak District and parts of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire hopes to collect 5 000 kilograms of litter and raise £5 000 for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.

As Lee, who is sponsored by LGS Design, believes that he will collect about 1,000 bags of litter and has built a ‘Litter Picking Monster Truck’ that will help him get rubbish bags to the right places, before they can be disposed of by the local council.

Lee, who is a member of Chesterfield Litter Picking Group, added:“It's not going to be an easy task by any means but it's for a worthy cause and I can't wait to get started. Bluebell is a brilliant charity doing amazing things for the children in the area.”

Anyone wanting to donate to Lee’s fundraiser can do so via his Go Fund Me page.

Related topics:Peak DistrictDerbyshireChesterfieldBluebell Wood Children's HospiceMatlockBakewellYorkshireNottinghamshire