This week, Island Echo met up with Adrian Daish, who has been litter-picking for 9 years, to learn more about his story and what keeps him going.
Adrian, a 67-year-old man from Haylands, has been cleaning up the streets of his home town after a Surfers Against Sewage beach clean-up at Compton got him ‘hooked’ on the cause.
Speaking of what brought about passion, he explained that in 2017, he underwent a hip replacement, and it was then that his doctor urged him to keep active and mobile as part of his recovery.
Scrolling on Facebook one day, he came across a Surfers Against Sewage beach clean-up and thought he would pop along to socialise, do some exercise and do something to benefit the community.
Speaking to Island Echo, Adrian said:
“I always used to love a walk on the beach , and the idea of removing rubbish from the environment was very appealing.
“You see the plastic bottles, cans and rubbish on there, and then to look round after you’ve come, gone past it and it’s nice and clean, is very rewarding.”
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For the next 4-years, Adrian continued cleaning up litter across the Island after work and in his spare time, he shifted focus to the roads and streets that affect his local community area.
After 4 years of flying solo, he came across the Vectis Wombles, a dedicated group of Island-wide litter pickers and decided to join them in their effort of keeping the streets clean whilst raising awareness of a growing issue.
Adrian said:
“In 2021 I joined the Vectis Wombles who were then known as the Vectis Wombles association.
“At the time I joined I realised that the original organizers had kind of given up with it and there wasn’t anything going on, so me and and a few others sort of took it on.
“Now the group has grown we are starting to get recognised for our work which is nice, we were invited to a meeting with the Public Realm Officer at County Hall last week to discuss their plans and a partnership for a new initiative to reduce littering incidents across the Island.”
Now, a year after retiring from his job of over 20 years at Ceramics & Substrates in Carisbrooke, Adrian has even more time to put to helping the environment. He was even part of the team that helped clean up the piles of litter left behind by the abandoned caravan on Whiterails Road.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the caravan caused widespread public outrage after the eyesore was left on the side of the road in December 2025, leading to the installation of temporary traffic lights ever since.
The Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads are made aware of bags of rubbish that Adrian has collected and left near public bins to be disposed of, he also expressed thanks to Ryde Town Council who has recently began paying for his rubbish sacks and other supplies.
Over the years, Adrian has found a number of novelty items such as L-plates and £10 notes that he keeps on his mantle-piece at home as reminders of all his hard work, he has also found a sex toy whilst picking on Beapers Shute.
When asked if a lot of people stop to thank him for his efforts across the community, Adrian said:
“Not really, but it would be nice to be recognised by members of the public that I see often. I think a lot of people think I am doing this as some form of community order, so it would be nice to be recognised for my time.”
“We do it to make the place look tidier and, and to help the environment.
“We just want people to see the Island in a clean light rather than a rubbish one.”
“I just want people to stop chucking rubbish, that’s it, to make people more aware that it’s happening and if we can inspire one person to pick up rubbish great, and if we inspire one person to tell someone not to chuck it out the car window, that would obviously be great.”
Well done Adrian great effort.
IW Council should give such persons FREE Council Tax
for doing such great work.
Keep up the good work
Well done to you all for taking time out to clean up other peoples rubbish. If people didn’t litter you wouldn’t have to clean up after them, shame on the people who drop their rubbish take it home or put it in a bin not on the ground.
This man should be enobled or at the very least be knighted. Far more deserving of recognition than the political cronies who are recognised in the honours list on an all too frequent basis.
I absolutely agree, but this country Knights wrong uns!
I could name so many but I won’t.
The real Hero’s are these people not politicians etc
A real local hero. Imagine what a beautiful and content place our Island would be if everyone took responsibility for their own rubbish. Vegetable, animal, mineral and -especially- human.