THIS week we are celebrating the tireless efforts of the 'Wasdale Womble' and her Egremont ally.

Lindsay Buck, of Gosforth, is regularly seen scampering up Scafell Pike, picking up ridiculous amounts of rubbish left by walkers. When told of her Person of the Week nomination she insisted she share it with Mick Pearce, of Egremont. The pair have summited England's highest peak hundreds of times over the years, collecting tons of trash en route.

They cover the pike and surrounding areas, messaging each other to share what patch they have covered during their latest foray.

There is no doubt how grateful the locals and fell users are. "There are lots of people who do their bit," said Lindsay modestly. And while they all deserve to be praised, they did not set themselves the 60th birthday challenge of heading up Scafell Pike as many times as possible in 12 months - raising money for the rescue team and collecting litter as they went.

Lindsay completed her challenge last month. While there were 80 days she was unable to go on the fells as a result of lockdown, she still notched up an incredible 155 ascents and descents, raising more than £2,000 for Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team.

Rather than counting the colossal amount of bags she collects, each year Lindsay keeps tabs on the number of one specific item. This year it was recycleable plastic bottles and containers - 989 of them so far!

Lindsay, who retired from Sellafield 10 years ago, is indebted to husband Jim Davis for all his support. "I have always picked up litter. Even when I worked on site I would always arrive at work with handfuls of litter," said Lindsay, who can regularly be seen heading on her bike from Gosforth to Wasdale, popping litter into her basket.

"I like going up Scafell Pike, it's a pleasure. I want to keep it as clean as possible. When people see what Mick and I are doing it encourages them to do their bit. Often the problem is that people are simply not thinking, they're not educated about the countryside code."

She has always been a big supporter of the Wasdale team. "It's been a tough year for them," said Lindsay. "The usual fundraisers have been cancelled, they've been busy and had to spend funds on PPE. I wanted to do what I could to help."