Meet Our leads: Mandy & Shailesh

Plastic Free Communities is a nationwide people-powered movement dedicated to breaking free from single-use plastic and stopping its production for good. It’s led by our mighty team of volunteer Community Leads across the UK. They co-ordinate and lead their own local movements, as part of the Surfers Against Sewage national campaign.

Anyone can be a Community Lead, anyone with a passion for creating change and wanting to fight back against throwaway plastic. With clear actions, steps to guide you, and support from Surfers Against Sewage, it’s a great way to make a difference and take action on plastic pollution.

Shailesh and Mandy signed up their suburb, Oadby, to Plastic Free Communities in 2019, as part of an environmental project with the Rotary Club. Plastic pollution in their urban area was a problem, but they knew many residents wanted to also see action. They were right, and more then 30 representatives from different religious, environmental and social groups attended their launch event.

Then when the global pandemic hit in 2020, and could have put a stop to their local campaign. However, Mandy and Shailesh with epic determination continued to engage with their community. They held meetings our zoom, organised social distanced community clean ups, and used social media to share the message.

Mandy and Shailesh, together with their Plastic Free steering group, achieved the award for Oadby in August last year. Mandy explains that getting to know so many different people and groups in Oadby, really helped them achieve all the steps in the toolkit and achieve the award.

The Oadby and Wigston Muslim Association joined as a Community Ally, and now use reusable cups and jugs instead of single-use plastic cups and bottles in their facilities.

Linking with schools and youth groups such as Brownies and Scouts made a big difference. They found their local children and young people were so keen to listen, and it’s a 2 for 1, as they go home and talk the impact of single-use plastic to their parents, wider family and friends.

Not only that, they found these relationships help with other community work the Rotary Club carry out. For example, getting schools involved in a Young Environmentalist competition and holding a Food Drive for the local food bank.

Mandy, Shailesh and their steering group now plan to help start a new Plastic Free Community in Wigston.  They are reaching out to councillors and community groups in that area, encouraging them to take up the challenge and offering to mentor and support. And of course, they plan to keep the momentum going in Oadby.

If you’re thinking about running your own Plastic Free Community, Mandy says there’s a great network of awarded communities ready to help and give advice.

Are you fed up of the scale of the plastic problem and the impact it has on your community?

Then why not find out more about joining our team of EPIC community leads, and help fire-up your community to breaking free from single-use plastic.

Lead Your Community and turn the tide on Plastic Pollution