A North Lincolnshire youngster is appealing to her local community for help as she continues her campaign to help homeless people this winter. 

Tilly Smith, 7, has already asked her school friends and the staff at Outwood Junior Academy Brumby to help her collect as many crisp packets as possible so that these can be recycled and turned into blankets for homeless people.

Amazingly, Tilly collected 712 crisp packets which have now been donated to The Iron Man (Frome), a specialist who is urging people to turn recycled crisps packets into survival blankets for homeless people this winter. 

Tilly now aims to collect more crisps packets by appealing to her local community and will make the blankets herself.

Tilly said:

“Everybody should recycle as much as possible to help the environment. When I'm litter picking, I find lots of crisp packets and I found out they take eighty years to break down. I think it's better to use them for something helpful and when I saw The Iron Man (Frome) turning them into blankets for the homeless I thought that was a great idea because it's really sad some people have to be homeless. 

“These blankets will help them to be warmer and keep them safer from being ill so I hope I can make a lot. I will try. All the crisp packets we don't use we will send to The Iron Man (Frome)."

Despite her young age, Tilly has a growing reputation thanks to her passion for helping others and the environment. It was this passion that saw Tilly crowned North Lincolnshire's very first Young Mayor's Environmental Champion in 2020, after a lockdown spent being selfless and going out litter picking on many occasions.

In her letter to her school about her campaign, Tilly expressed that a crisp packet can take 80 years to decompose, but if recycled it can either be made into a survival blanket. Tilly is hoping to make the survival blankets herself, but if not she has already lined up a specialist to do it for her.

Around 150 crisps packets are needed for a survival blanket so the challenge is on for the school to collect as many as possible.

Lisa Cleary, Tilly’s mum, said: “Last year, in addition to lots of litter picking, Tilly raised money for Cancer Support UK, purchased a new public bin, and created a dozen care packs for the homeless which we donated to The Forge. 

“Hopefully her project this year will be as successful. Tilly's passion for looking after others and looking after the environment is an inspiration to me, and I am so proud of her for all she has done and no doubt will continue to do."

The packs created by Tilly contained warm clothing, toiletries and food and were donated to The Forge Project, based on Cottage Beck Road. The charity offers food and vital support services to North Lincolnshire’s homeless and roofless.

Steve Tait, Head of School at Tilly’s Queensway-based primary school, said:

“It is impossible not to be inspired by Tilly and everything she does. We couldn’t wait to get started with supporting her in this campaign and we would love the local community to help too!”