A group of litter pickers has marked 13 years of community clean-ups in Tavistock.

The volunteers of Tidy Tavi were out in force on Saturday (October 5), with long-time supporters and families with their enthusiastic young mini litter pickers coming together in the autumn sunshine to tackle litter across the town.

The group patrolled key areas of Tavistock including the town centre, the Meadows, the canal and riverside walk and the A368 as far as Anderton Lane.

The celebrations began with co-founder Jane Miller cutting a celebratory birthday cake, which was enjoyed with a glass of fizz. Jane and Pamela Steele, founded Tidy Tavi in 2011, and for the past 13 years, Steve Hipsey, Jeff Moody and Vikki Bendle have coordinated the group's efforts, helping it grow into a key part of the community.

Steve said: "We’re probably the only business in town that actually wants to be put out of business.”

Jeff added: "Although litter is still an issue, Tavistock is much cleaner than many other towns. We’ve probably collected around 50 tonnes over the years.”

The group is always looking for more volunteers, who are invited to join in its activities on the first Saturday of each month at Meadowlands Pool at from 9.45am until 12 noon.

In addition to the regular cleanups, a mid-month litter pick patrols areas of Tavistock harder to reach on foot during the main events. The next mid-month event is on Thursday next week (October 17) in Uplands and Abbotsfield, with volunteers enjoying a well-earned drink and lunch afterward at a local hostelry.