Northampton family release children’s book to tackle littering and encourage young people to do their bit

A Northampton family is approaching the release of their first children’s book, which aims to tackle the issue of littering and encourage young people to do their bit.

The book – ‘The Problem with Litter’ – is part of the Bainbridge family’s Bertie Bottle Campaign, first launched in 2018.

The aim is to show that everyone can make a positive difference to the world we live in and that small changes can have a massive impact – encouraging children to consider their own actions.

The rhyming book addresses the issue with litter and single use plastics, beautifully illustrated by Kelly Maddy.

The story follows Bertie Bottle as he is swept away into the ocean after being discarded on the beach. He meets a turtle who is affected by litter, which causes harm to him and other sea creatures.

The Bertie Bottle Campaign was set up by Julie Bainbridge, her husband David and their daughter.

The family began their campaign work by regularly litter picking their area, Grange Park, and have established monthly community picks since.

They also work with local businesses to ensure they are doing what they can to reduce and eliminate the litter they produce.

Campaign founder Julie believes litter picking is “great and solves immediate issues”, but a long-term solution is needed to tackle this nationwide issue.

“It’s a wide scale problem, but one that can be stopped by making small, positive changes – which everyone can do,” Julie added. “The Bertie Bottle Campaign’s message is simple. Do not drop litter. Take it home to recycle or put it in a bin.”

The family believe education is key, particularly as young people demonstrate “understanding and passion” towards the matter.

Julie told this newspaper: “The future is with the younger generation. They show compassion and desire to look after the natural world.”

‘The Problem with Litter’ launches this Saturday (October 28) and is already available to pre-order from a variety of bookshops.

Though the book will be available online from a lot of national retailers, including Waterstones and WHSmith, Julie is hoping to get it stocked in places closer to home across the county.

“It’s not a massive campaign and has a couple of hundred followers,” said Julie. “It’s something we wanted to do as a family, out of frustration that people think you can’t do much to make a difference.”

The work on the family’s first book began during the pandemic, when Julie noted ideas down on her phone. It advanced organically from there.

Looking to the future of The Bertie Bottle Campaign, Julie says she has lots of ideas she is excited to work on.

She would love for the family to write another book on things people can do locally to make a difference to where they live, such as making changes to their garden.

Creating an educational app for younger children is a dream of Julie’s, as well as working with schools to deliver campaign packs to pupils.

For more information on the Bertie Bottle Campaign, or to find out how to become a stockist of the book, visit their website here.