More than 1.2 tonnes of rubbish was collected in just one hour as recovery groups and local youth came together for the second Recovery Litter Picking Challenge.
Held on 29 October 2025 at St Luke’s, Bank Top, and organised by the Roots Community in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council, the event brought together 14 teams from across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, including two enthusiastic youth teams from St Luke’s taking part during half-term.
In total, 242 bags of litter were removed from surrounding streets, weighing an impressive 1221.9 kilograms. The competition was fiercely contested, with half the teams collecting over 100kg and the top four separated by just seven kilograms.
Project FREE from Bury took home the £100 top prize with a remarkable 154kg collected. Acorn Recovery followed closely in second place, while St Luke’s youth group secured third, impressing spectators with their ingenuity in using a discarded shopping trolley to transport their haul. Rehab Fitness from Manchester, winners of the first event in Oldham, finished fourth.
Special recognition was given to The Well Communities, Spark, IMO, THOMAS, and the Public Health team, all of whom contributed to a strong local turnout and community spirit.
Tom Woodcock, Director of Partnerships and Collaboration at The Calico Group, spoke on the benefits of the activity.
He said: “These litter-picking sessions are a win, win, win.
“The neighbourhoods get a tidy up, people get connected to other recovery groups, and we have a good laugh. What’s not to like about that?”
The next challenge will take place on 11 November 2025 at Change Grow Live’s new base at the Resonance Centre in Clayton, East Manchester, with momentum building and everything still to play for.
