More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A man and his dog are taking the nation's littering problem into their own hands as they pick up rubbish and friends along the way.
Wayne Dixon and his eight-year-old Northern Inuit rescue dog Koda. are undertaking a 7,000-mile litter pick across the UK coastline and have now reached Dartford.
The dynamic duo from Lancashire are now more than half way into their journey (3,800 miles), having set off three years ago.
Travelling on foot and in all weather conditions, the pair clean up litter and report fly-tipping to local councils.
In the last month they have been busy tidying up the streets of Kent.
On Sunday, Mr Dixon and his canine companion teamed up with a Dartford litter-picking group led by Cllr Kelly Grehan (Lab), Lisa Bullock and Sarah Crook.
Meeting outside the Patterdale Road bus stop, the pair were assisted by Jasmine Ward staff at Darent Valley Hospital and members of Extinction Rebellion, among others.
They were given digs for the night by local resident, Sarah Snow, who also joined them on the rubbish patrol.
The 47-year-old decided to take up the challenge following the sudden death of his father, an avid rambler and author of various walking guides.
He said: "I'm doing the walk in memory of my dad who got me into walking. It helped me through some sad times.
"This is my dream, to walk the entire coastline, but I realised it's also a platform for me to tackle serious social issues I care about.
"I have had lots of support. Social media has been a great help in getting the message out there."
Also in attendance at the weekend was regular litter picker and school boy, Ben Greenwood.
The 13-year-old has been collecting rubbish in the area since he was a young boy and has received awards from former mayor David Mote and the town council for his efforts.
He recently became inspired by Wayne's litter picking story and has set his own challenge to litter pick every road in Swanscombe.
Mr Dixon and Koda usually travel solo, preferring the solitude of the ramble.
They are fundraising for Mind, a charity close to the army veteran's heart, and have amassed more than £10,000 in donations so far.
This was the second time the duo had visited Dartford.
Last month, they ventured into the Gravesend industrial estates near the Ship and Lobster pub in Mark Lane, where they found the the area littered with rubbish.
The pair reported a three to four-mile stretch of debris which significantly slowed down their journey.
"A lot of that litter will be going into the Thames," he said.
"It is affecting people's wellbeing and the look of the place."
After leaving Gravesend, they then made their way to the Dartford Bridge via the River Darent.
Along the way they came across three litter catch points and dumped wire cables behind the Littlebrook Power Station.
He carried a full bag for three miles before finding a public bin to dispose of the rubbish.
This summer, the pair travelled to Folkestone and Dover and visited Romney Marsh on two separate occasions.
They will look to march on Downing Street before their time in the south is up to present a petition to introduce an eco-schools programme to educate youngsters on the environment.
Cllr Kelly Grehan, who helped organise Sunday's patrol, said the litter pick was a great success.
"We were also thrilled Wayne and Koda could join us today," she said.
"The litter pick today really was representative of what we hope to achieve with all our projects, which is to bring the community together, having a good time doing something that helps the neighbourhood we all share."
Cheryl Sales, the Jasmine Ward manager at Darent Valley, also praised the event.
She said: "We wanted to come along to show our gratitude for the toiletries Dartford Deeds Not Words Foundation collect for our patients which really makes a difference to them."
The next group litter pick will be at the Enchanted Woodland at Temple Hill on Saturday November 30, at noon.
