Wimborne Minster Town Council has announced the winner of its Volunteer of the Year Award.

Sarah Wise, leader of the volunteer group ‘Wimborne War on Waste’ was honoured with the award at the Mayor making ceremony.

She received this in recognition for her outstanding contributions to organising community litter picks and promoting waste reduction efforts in the town.

Sarah began each morning by walking through Redcotts Recreation Ground in Wimborne Minster, picking up litter.

This small act evolved into gathering a group of people together and eventually led to the formation of Wimborne War on Waste.

This initiative brought about projects like Bin the Butts, an idea originally implemented by the Chamber of Trade, and encouraged cafes to go plastic-free, use refillable coffee cups, and ask businesses to let people fill their mugs with water.

These efforts, all focused on environmental issues, eventually led to the creation of Planet Wimborne, the Repair Café, and more.

Wimborne Minster Town Council said that without Sarah's initial litter-picking, ‘many of these initiatives might not exist today, or at least not as soon as they did’.

The annual Volunteer of the Year awards by the town council are designed to recognise and celebrate volunteers who have made exceptional contributions to Wimborne Minster and its residents.