A roadside cafe at the gateway to the Scottish Highlands has been presented with the Environmental and Sustainable Business prize at the National Fish and Chip Awards for treating litter pickers with a well-earned plate of fish and chips. The Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum started the scheme in 2021, having noticed the buildup of litter around the A82 route leading to Glencoe. After more than 40 "Pick and Chips" events, monthly litter picks grew in popularity and renown. They now regularly attract participants from all across Scotland and the occasional non-Scot enrolee to a Highland adventure. Sarah Heward, the cafe's owner, said Pick and Chips came about because she got “fed up” driving to work through the national park and witnessing so much roadside rubbish. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say “Rather than get depressed or get angry, I decided to do something about it,” she said. “I was brought up in a culture of litter picking - my mum was a litter picker as well, so that helped, I think.” She said “there’s a great appetite for wanting to do it,” adding volunteers find the cafe’s events “curiously uplifting”. Stepping onto the roadside in the driving rain, it was clear pickers have their work cut out for them. From fly-tipped couches and hundreds of discarded slates to bottles and bags of human waste, volunteers stop at nothing to hold their nose and return the national park to its natural splendour. Some volunteers agonised over a couch recovered from the roadside with fabric stapled to wood bolted to a metal frame – impractical to recycle without disassembly. After two hours of litter picking in the driving rain, two dozen soggy pickers return to the Real Food Cafe and are rewarded for their efforts with a piping hot plate of fish and chips, straight from the fryer. Participants range from teenagers working towards their King’s Trust Award to hikers making a stop on their way north and retirees in the local area equally fed up with the build-up of litter along the roadside. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Labour MP suspended from party after her husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China NHS sparks fury after plans to spend over £1million on asylum seeker health services exposed Migrant from Chad charged after two people injured by Edinburgh knifeman Travelling to the February event from Perthshire, Joanne Hull is particularly concerned about the impact on the wildlife. She said: “They’re picking up this litter and eating it so it’s rewarding driving away from here after a fantastic meal and great camaraderie with other people and to see it nice and clean and clear as Scotland should look.” Willie Dunn has spent more than 20 Pick and Chips events “doing something worthwhile". He said: “It’s an eye-opener how careless people can be, sometimes bordering on the ridiculous.” The A82 road leading through Tyndrum to the Highlands is managed by Bear Scotland, but the litter along the grassy verges is the responsibility of Stirling Council. Unable to fully keep on top of the rubbish in the Rannoch Moor, the local authority is grateful to Sarah and her litter-picking volunteers for keeping the Highland gateway looking tidy, supplying the cafe with rubbish bags and arranging free pickup of collected litter the following day. A Stirling Council spokesman said: “The council’s street cleaning service has a presence in Tyndrum three times a week servicing litter bins and litter picking as part of our commitment to ensure our communities are clean and welcoming for everyone. “We are aware of this regular litter pick in Tyndrum and support these fantastic group of volunteers by providing bags and disposing of the litter collected. It’s a great example of the community spirit across Stirling and shows the pride residents take in the quality of their local environment. “We provide kit and equipment free of charge to other communities that are interested in supporting clean-ups in their area.” However, fly-tipping is managed differently from littering. And while the local authority collects the litter-pick rubbish bags for free, larger items – like that complicated couch – will need to be transported to a refuse centre by van, disassembled for recycling or be subject to a council collection fee – normally paid for by Sarah. The National Federation of Fish Fryers recognised the long-running impact of Pick and Chips, presenting Sarah and her team with the National Fish and Chip Award for an Environmental and Sustainable Business. After five years of hosting litter picks from the diner, Sarah admits she does not have all the answers to solve the national problem of littering but thinksL "We need to think about it as in terms of a cultural change. “We’ve achieved massive cultural changes in people’s behaviour in this country previously. “Take drink driving: that used to be socially acceptable, but through relentless hard-hitting campaigns over several years, that all changed.” She added: “Same with smoking indoors, same with wearing a seatbelt – we can change people’s behaviours.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter