Wigan girl fills 19 bin bags full of litter to raise money for important trip - but she needs your help

Erika Morrison-Skett, 14, has been a member of Scouts since she was five-years-old being part of Riverside Explorers and 27th Wigan group before that.

Due to her love of scouting, Erika decided to apply to go to the The World Scout Jamboree in 2027 and was selected.

The World Scout Jamboree is the main global gathering of the Scout movement, bringing together tens of thousands of young people and volunteers from around the world. It will be held in Gdańsk, Poland where participants will take part in outdoor activities, plaza games, cultural exchange days, and engage in workshops focused on the environment and mental health.

However, in order to get there, Erika has been told that she must raise £3,600 in total to cover her costs and to help towards other children’s costs who are less fortunate.

To raise some money, Erika has taken part in a range of fundraising activities including selling clothes, doing a Christmas raffle and running stalls at local community centres. Most recently, Erika filled 19 bin bags full of rubbish during a litter pick on Scotman’s Flash.

Erika’s mum, Fiona Morrison-Skett, said: “She decided to do a full day of litter picking and we weren’t expecting her to get so much rubbish but she collected 19 bags of rubbish which we took to the tip. She was doing it initially for the money but she did actually really enjoy it. She even found a three seater sofa, a two seated sofa and a chair.”

Despite all of this litter picking and community work, Erika only managed to raise £75 from this and still has £1,800 left to raise.

Fiona said: “We were hoping that the litter pick would be more financially successful but she got a lot more out of it than just that and I’m just delighted that she’s a positive young girl who wants to help her local community.”

Erika is also planning on further Christmas fundraisers and a future Hallowe’en party to raise more money to go on this special trip.

To donate to Erika’s fund, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/c9ksg-world-scout-jamboree-funds