7-year-old girl takes on "street a day" litter pick challenge in Sheffield
“She just wants to save the planet”
A seven-year-old girl from Sheffield spends her days collecting litter from the streets of Sheffield where she lives.
Darcy Loukes, from Shirecliffe, has been litter picking since she was a toddler and now does a street a day.
Her love for the environment came after she saw the amount of litter present on a beach whilst on holiday with her nana.
When asked why she wants to do it, Darcy said she wants to “help the plants and animals”.
Mum, Sarah Loukes, 36, said: “She goes on holiday most weeks with her nana, going to the beach. She saw how much rubbish there was and to be honest she was getting really sad about it.
“Her nana told her how damaging it is to the environment, so she decided to take all the rubbish off the beach and then she’s just carried it on at home. She told me she wants to save the planet.”
Darcy has recently started going out every day with a bin bag, and can spend up to three hours picking up litter.
Mrs Loukes shared how the people in the community “love it” and are “so grateful” for the work Darcy does. They have even been giving her some money, but she “doesn’t do it for that”.
A local shop lets Darcy that she can use their bin, to help make things easier if her bin bag starts to get full.
Mrs Loukes said: “She could keep doing it all day , its me that has to tell her to stop.
“We are so proud of her. She’s so kind and caring, she loves to share everything, she just wants to make people happy.”
Darcy’s nana, Rita Howson, 58, regularly takes her granddaughter to the East Coast, where she has a holiday home.
She said: “From being a toddler, Darcy would collect rubbish in her little bucket whenever we visited the beach. We would often talk about the harm that plastic and other waste can cause to wildlife and marine life.
“Over the years, there have been many occasions when we've come off the beach carrying armfuls of rubbish that Darcy had collected because she was so determined to help keep the beach clean.
“It's wonderful to see that passion inspiring her actions and encouraging others to think about the impact litter can have on our beaches and local areas.”