As part of supporting our local communities, we teamed up with Greenham to provide equipment for a volunteer working hard to improve his local area.

Joe Bench supports his community in Catterick, North Yorkshire, by picking up rubbish around the village, walking three square miles weekly to ensure his local area is kept tidy. Joe loves chatting to everyone he meets and has a great passion for wildlife. Catterick has been a conservation area since the early 70s and is home to a variety of species around Brough Beck, including trout and ducks, as well as animals from the local equestrian centre. By clearing litter, Joe not only makes the area tidier, but also protects local wildlife from any unnecessary hazards.

Joe also has links to the meat industry, previously working in the rendering trade for MCP. He left the trade in 1986 to set up his own dog food manufacturing company, which he continued with until the early 2000s, before settling down in Catterick to open a pet store.

Since his retirement in 2013, he’s been supporting his local community, volunteering at his local hospice and helping with various functions in the village. In 2018, he began picking up litter without being asked, with no access to equipment to make this easier. To support his tremendous effort, we worked with Greenham to supply Joe with a new jacket, boots and other equipment, so he can continue to help in his community.