A RECYCLED cyclist sculpture will be greeting visitors to the Forest of Dean in the fight against littering.

The artwork made of rubbish unveiled by environmental charity Hubbub as part of the rural anti-litter campaign ‘Love Your Forest’ represents the biking community, which makes use of the area’s trails and cycling lanes.

Nottinghamshire-Based artist Michelle Reader, who specialises in art from waste, has fashioned the sculpture from old bike parts and discarded pieces of litter commonly found in the forest.

Soft drinks manufacturer Lucozade Ribena Suntory, which has a factory in Coleford, has helped fund the project, hosted by Forestry Commission England at its Cannop Cycle Centre, managed by Pedalabikeaway.

The artwork will be reminding Forest of Dean visitors to take their litter home and dispose of it responsibly.

Each year 250 tonnes of rubbish are removed from the Forest of Dean area, costing the district council £430,000 per year.

Hubbub chief executive officer Trewin Restorick said: “Through this campaign, we have met lots of people who are really keen to prevent littering in the forest and do their bit to keep it clean.

“The Forest of Dean offers a vast cycling terrain and beautiful walking trails, which still too often are littered with rubbish. This sculpture is an innovative and fun way to engage with the visitors and remind them, whether they are biking or walking along the tracks and trails, to help keep this beautiful forest litter free.”

Heather Lilley, of Forestry Commission England, said: “We have been partners in the Love Your Forest Campaign for three years now working with different communities to organise litter picks and highlight litter issues across the Forest of Dean.

“This innovative and fun sculpture is a great opportunity to spread the message to another sector of our community and ask everyone who uses our forest bike trails to respect the beautiful woods they cycle through and to take their litter home.”

Gareth Sheppard, director of Pedalabikeaway at Cannop Cycle Centre, said: “Staff spend hours each week litter picking especially at the start and end of trails and around the centre.

“We’re really pleased to host the new sculpture on site reminding people to take care of the bike trails. If everyone acts responsibly, and instead of dropping their drink bottle, gel wrapper or broken bike parts, keeps hold of them until they come off the trails and then recycle or put them in the bin, we’ll keep the woods looking fabulous.”

The ‘Love Your Forest’ campaign was launched in April by 4X World Champion racer Katy Curd at the Forest Activities Festival, where she exchanged trash for treats from Hubbub’s ‘Trashconverter’, a redesigned horse box acting as an information hub for the duration of the campaign.

Since April, the Trashconverter has toured the Forest of Dean, visiting 38 different locations such as schools, parks and tourist hotspots, to engage with local communities and to provide advice on how to reduce litter in the forest.

Nearly 2,700 residents and visitors have been exchanging their trash for treats, collecting the equivalent of 65 bags of litter.

Love Your Forest aims to be a community-owned campaign, with multiple local groups running Love Your Forest events and activities. If you’re a biker, a local bike-related business or a community group wishing to get involved in the #LoveYourForest campaign, contact [email protected]ne interested in a visit from the Trashconverter should contact Hubbub at [email protected].