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Gelligaer Common has long been a fly-tipping hotspot – but thanks to the efforts of 17-year-old Daniel Lewis, more than 40 tonnes of waste has been removed from the common over the past 18 months.
During lockdown, Daniel, from Treharris, decided to take action and began cleaning up litter from the common, which straddles the boundary between Caerphilly County Borough and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough.
With the help of a number of local businesses and donations from the community, Daniel has organised numerous litter picking activities on the common – removing waste weighing the equivalent of ten hippopotamuses in the process.
His work has seen solar-powered CCTV systems set up on the common and he has also designed anti-fly-tipping signs.
Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, Daniel said: “It all started in January last year, when I was walking on the common and noticed the amount of fly-tipping.
“I’ve always liked volunteering, so I started a litter pick and documented it on social media. Businesses took notice and helped out.”
Normally, Daniel does his litter picks alone, but he has organised a number of community litter picks – some of which have attracted up to 40 people.
Initially, Daniel paid for his equipment himself and used his own money to hire skips to clear the litter, but after being noticed on Facebook, local businesses now help out with the cost of the skip hires.
Daniel’s efforts have earned him recognition in recent months. In April this year, he was named the winner of the Young Person category at the Welsh Government’s St David Awards, an honour he was presented with by First Minister Mark Drakeford.
He has also received praise from Gelligaer Community Council, which gave Daniel an award and a £50 cash gift in recognition of his voluntary work.
Gelligaer Community Council’s Chair Martyn James, who is also a county borough councillor for Ystrad Mynach, presented Daniel with the award and said: “Daniel may be a teenager but he is an inspiration to us all.
“We are incredibly grateful for his dedication in cleaning up the environment for the benefit of all in the community.”
Cllr James continued: “He deserves all the recognition he gets because of his work, which has been instrumental in keeping the common clean for the wildlife and for us all to enjoy.
“At the ceremony some lovely messages were played back to him thanking him for his work, including one from environmental campaigner and Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams. It was all a huge surprise to Daniel.”
On top of this, Daniel was presented with a ‘One Big Thank You‘ certificate from BBC Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan.
The One Big Thank You scheme, run by BBC’s The One Show, recognises people who have gone the extra mile to help in their community.
Daniel said: “I went up on the common for a litter pick one morning, like I do every week, and Michaela Strachan jumped out at me. I then went to Gelligaer Community Centre to receive my award.
“I was lost for words – I only went out for a litter pick.
“It’s not something that happens every day. It’s nice to be recognised.”
Daniel will be featured on The One Show, which will air on BBC One at 7pm on Thursday, June 9.
You can donate to help Dan’s fly-tipping mission by visiting his GoFundMe page.
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