A golden thumbs-up!

A GLORIOUS year for East Lancashire's grimebusters came to a close yesterday with the presentation of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Grimewatch awards.

More entries than ever were received for the competition, which has been running for 10 years. And the campaign itself became a winner, picking up the Queen Mother's Birthday Trophy - the highest accolade from the Tidy Britain Group for environmental improvement.

Guest of honour at the ceremony at St Christopher's High School, Accrington, was internationally-renowned environmentalist and broadcaster Dr David Bellamy, a judge at the very first Grimewatch awards.

Guests included mayors and mayoresses from across East Lancashire, former Grimewatch co-ordinators and former environment minister and former Tidy Britain Group chairman Sir David Trippier.

Peter Butterfield, editor of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and founder of Grimewatch, said: "This year, entries totalled 137 and we had a really hard time deciding which were to be shortlisted, let alone which were to win.

"The variety and scope of the projects was vast and it was impressive to see the different ways in which groups and individuals in our communities were doing their bit to help the environment." Dr Bellamy, who arrived wearing a T-shirt made from recycled plastic bottles, said: "If you don't have the environment at the heart of the community you don't have a community at all.

"We are finding all the way across the world, more and more people are seeing the destruction of the living world around about them. It doesn't matter what country you go to, they are suddenly realising if they don't do something about it all the things they cherish will go away."

Dr Bellamy talked about the impact of the Rio Earth Summit, when world leaders decided to promote a "think globally, act locally" attitude towards the environment - a slogan he revealed he had used many years before when campaigning in Australia.

He praised the efforts of local communities like those involved in Grimewatch.

He said: "If it hadn't been for the push from local groups, small businesses, Women's Institutes and so on across the country, the big industries would not have moved so quickly.

"You found a formula 10 years ago in which you could get the whole community working. "

And he recalled the very first Grimewatch competition, when he awarded a railway bridge at Burnley a special Golden Thumb award because it "stuck out like a golden thumb".

He said: "I will give two golden thumbs up to Grimewatch. One hundred and thirty-seven entries - that is better than some of the really big competitions I am a judge for so you really are going green."

Grimewatch is sponsored by British Aerospace, Groundwork, the Tidy Britain Group, the Environment Agency, Lancashire Waste Services and Lancashire County Council.

Entries are now being accepted for Grimewatch '99. See the Lancashire Evening Telegraph next week for full details.

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