He’s only seven years old – but we could all learn a lot from Oliver Legg.
Armed with a black bag and a litter picker, the primary four pupil is determined to clean up Inverness one crisp packet at a time.
Every Saturday he joins next-door neighbour Alister Bowie – and Alister’s dog Hetty – for a wander around Milton of Leys.
By the time they’re back home, the area looks a little bit nicer than it did when they started.
“I don’t like litter,” said Oliver. “I see people throwing it into the bushes or over the fence at school and I don’t think it’s good.
“My neighbour Alister started the idea, he has a litter picker. I thought ‘we have black bags and you have the picker, we could go together’.”
‘He’s always been very thoughtful’
Oliver moved to the Highlands two years ago with his mum and dad.
At their old house in Dorset, the nearest park was “ages away”.
Now there are loads of kids to play with on his street and lots of green spaces nearby to play in.
The only problem is they can sometimes be full of rubbish – but he’s tackling that problem one Saturday at a time.
And Oliver wants more kids to join him.
There have been campaigns to start litter picking at his school, Milton of Leys Primary, but Oliver said the previous one only lasted for three weeks.
He said: “I like doing it [litter picking]. It makes me feel good.
“Sometimes people stop and say it’s good that we’re picking up the litter.”
Oliver’s good deeds have earned him some shout-outs on social media.
And his grateful neighbours have been known to drop off a treat or two to say thanks for his hard work.
Oliver’s mum, Francesca Lambert, said the family’s move north has been a factor in his regular outings.
She said: “He really enjoys it. I was a bit shocked at first, I never imagined him doing something like this.
“But he’s had so much more freedom since we moved up here and our neighbours are great for taking him out every Saturday morning.”
Dad James Legg added: “Not many kids his age want to go out and do that most Saturdays.
“He’s always been a very thoughtful child.”
Two-thirds of Scots cite litter as a problem in their area
Most of us hate the sight of litter.
A recent survey from Keep Scotland Beautiful found that 87% of people think that it’s a problem in Scotland.
And 67% said it’s a problem in their own local area.
With yet more budget cuts for councils on the horizon, it’s highly unlikely that local authorities will be stepping up to plug the gap anytime soon.
Beyond our local councils, everyone also has an individual responsibility to pick up after themselves.
It certainly should not fall to a seven-year-old schoolboy to plug that gap.
But while it remains a problem without a solution, we really could use a few more kids like Oliver.
Inverness South councillor Ken Gowans said he was pleased to hear about the “phenomenal” contribution Oliver has been making to his local area.
“What a great example that young man is setting,” he said. “It’s a fantastic thing for a seven-year-old to do.
“It’s a great example to everyone in society about how they should think about where they live.
“For someone to have such a mature and responsible attitude at that age, it’s outstanding.”
Conversation