Not even a recent hip operation could stop fellow rubbish collector Anthea Stewart from putting in a shift.
The 85-year-old said: “I want to be here. I love it. I want to do a useful thing,” said Anthea with a litter stick in one hand and a walking stick in the other. “
Jack Dowden has been volunteering since the summer after being made redundant.
“When you get the tap on the shoulder it’s that horrible feeling within your stomach and you think ‘what am I gonna do?’,” he said.
“I wanted to do something that would give me a bit of self-worth.
“I knew it was going to be a bit of a strain on mental health as well, so I wanted to sort of make sure I had some focus and something that I felt I could give back to the community a little bit.
“It’s been a really positive experience for me.”
He has since secured a new job – and The Crosby Wombles features on his CV.
