THE response from people wanting to thank Mark Woodman for his continued efforts to keep Charfield Woods tidy has been overwhelming.
During a recent serious illness Mark took it upon himself to clean the woods at the end of Wellhead Lane. He removed the bottles, crisp packets, broken glass and general household waste to turn the woods into a safe and pleasant place to spend time.
The woods are now clean and free of waste. There are waste bins that Mark has made and installed and which he empties himself, just to make the woods a better place for people and wildlife.
Over 1,000 people have shown their support and thanked Mark on Spotted Westbury and many want to get involved and help with the clean up.
Wesley Smith said, “It’s just fantastic. I loved those woods as a kid growing up in Leighton Green and went up there last year with my 4 year-old and just felt sad to see the state of them. Well done Mark.”
Even those who no longer live in the area are grateful. Lucy Stone commented, “What a star, I used to live on Wellhead Lane and spent many days playing in those woods as a kid. I no longer live in Westbury, but a big thanks to this gentleman and his family.”
The anonymous person who wrote about Mark’s efforts on the Facebook page said, “No one paid him. No one forced him. No one blackmailed him. He has performed a service for the community without any thought of remuneration.
“Please everyone, respect what Mark has done and don’t drop your rubbish, but put it in the bins that he has provided.”
Mark is overwhelmed and quite shocked at the amount of people that commented on the Facebook page. He said, “The comments have blown me away, I didn’t expect any of this. I don’t do it for any other reason than that I really care about where I live.
“It’s my therapy, other people enjoy watching films or television but I enjoy going to the woods with my dog Bertie and seeing all the wonderful wildlife we have.
“It is so important to look after what we have, we’re so lucky to be surrounded by such lovely countryside but we need to protect it. I’ve been going to the woods with my family for years, but recently more and more people are dropping litter and dumping their rubbish there. I’ve caught a few people dropping bottles and i’ve chased after them with a black bag.
“I would like to say a big thank you for all the nice comments, and to Martyn for kindly coming to take pictures of me. I will continue to solider on for as long as I can because the environment is important and we must look after it.”
