AN inspiring seven year-old recently organised a beach clean at Helen’s Bay, after being captivated by The Wombles.
Annie Hawkins was so inspired after reading Elizabeth Beresford’s tales of the fuzzy environmentalists that she decided to take action in her own local area.
The young girl, who hails from Crawfordsburn, rallied together her family and organised a beach clean at Helen’s Bay, inviting others to get involved with them.
The event proved a great success, with a strong turnout of local families and friends who joined Annie to help tidy the beach and enjoy time together outdoors.
Blessed with a sunny Sunday morning, the group worked together to collect litter along the shoreline, showing how a simple idea can bring a community together and make a positive impact.
After the event, Annie said: “That was so much fun. I want to do it again.”
Annie was proudly supported by her 10 month-old baby sister, Joni, who ‘helped supervise’ the efforts on the day.
The event was a true family affair, with smiles all round as participants pitched in to help care for one of the area’s most loved coastal spots.
Annie’s initiative highlights how even the youngest members of the community can inspire others and lead by example.
Speaking after the event, Annie’s mother, Claire said her daughter was ‘a wee star’ who enjoyed reading.
Claire joked that she didn’t think The Wombles were still ‘a thing’ until her daughter read a copy of one of the books and declared she would like to care for the environment like they do.
“We phoned the council and got the litter pickers from them and sent out messages to our friends and family to see who we could get together,” she explained.
“The council have some litter pickers in Donaghadee and she had enjoyed doing that and so said she would like to organise it so we just went with it.”
