A man hailed as the unsung hero of Penrith has dedicated the win to the town that he loves.
Volunteer Tony Pears, aged 52, scooped the award for keeping the town spick and span.
The dad-of-two told the Herald: “I was absolutely thrilled to be nominated and when you look at the list of other people on it, I think the town’s the winner – not me.
“Everyone on the list was so deserving.”
The community gathered at the Roundthorn Country House Hotel to celebrate the Stars of Business awards run by Penrith Chamber of Trade.
Tony received the unsung hero award having taken it upon himself to become a volunteer litter picker.
He had gone on to inspire others to get involved, from schools to councils and companies.
Tony said he feels only pride in Penrith, the place he has spent all his life.
“I’m a big promoter of Penrith,” said Tony. “I think we’ve got a lovely town and how many places could you get off a train and have a view like that (Penrith Castle)? Every town is going through a struggle, it’s not just here, but I was a long-distance lorry driver and I know how bad some places can be, so we have to make the most of what we’ve got.”
Picking up litter is just a follow-on from his day job as he helps keep the M6 and A66 tidy for employers, Kier.
It all started by accident about a decade ago when he got a dog, Buddy, and began walking around Castle Park. He began to notice litter and made a habit of picking it up and disposing of it.
That then progressed to him taking along a makeshift litter picking tool. Pretty soon he was setting out with a bin bag and over the years, his litter picking has spread further and further across Penrith, with food packaging, such as sandwich wrappers and crisp packets, being the most common item discarded.
“I’ve met so many nice people from doing it,” he said. “I just try and make the place as tidy as I can.”
He was also introduced to a like-minded group called Wombling Free Eden – who hold mass clean-ups across the district from villages to lay-bys and country roads – and has got to know dozens of other people doing the same in their corner of Eden.
Tony, married to Annette, gave a special thanks to his employers, Kier, for allowing him to give back to the community, and also helping provide equipment for large clean-ups.
