Bringing People Together with Roots Community

Photos by Community Roots. Words by Leigh Rose

In the bustle of the summer months when we’re trawling the UK and beyond in our vans heading to Trash Free Races, it can be easy to think that’s all that’s going on at TFT. But in reality, our amazing community of A-TEAMers and Community Hubs are living and breathing DIO - spending time together in places they adore, removing single-use pollution, and connecting with one another.

Here we speak to the team behind Roots Community - a group seeking to bring together outdoor movement, nature and community connection in the heart of Suffolk.

What started as a few friends training together in local parks and green spaces quickly blossomed into what today is known as Roots Community. A free, peer-led movement community based out of The Playground at Suffolk Food Hall. 

Focused on being outside, moving and connecting with other individuals, the Roots Community places huge emphasis on creating a space that is welcoming and accessible to everyone regardless of their fitness level, experience or background. Inclusivity and play are at the heart of what they do to help increase their members' wellbeing and connection to others, and nature.

When founders Elouise and Aston discovered Trash Free Trails (TFT) it was logical and felt like being a TFT Community Hub was something that was always woven into the fabric of Roots. Just like TFT it goes beyond picking up litter for them, it’s about building a deeper connection to nature and creating, sustainable, stewardship of local green spaces. 

For Roots, Trail cleaning is something of a form of therapy. Slowing down, paying attention to the environment alongside others creates a new level of connection with the landscape. “It reminds us we’re all part of nature” says Elouise. “Litter for us isn’t an environmental issue, it’s a relationship issue”.

Trash Free Trails and Roots believe that the way to combat litter is to focus on connection, connection to people, place and self.  “The best way to restore that connection is through trail cleaning. People are far more likely to look after a place if they’re connected to it” says Aston. 

So far, the Roots Community have removed hundreds of items of single-use pollution (litter) since joining our Community Hubs network. They’re continuing to organise trail cleans throughout the summer alongside their usual social and physical activities all with the goal of creating a more inclusive outdoors where people can nurture themselves, the people around them and the places they’re in. 

To join in with their programmes head over to, [link to Roots] where you can join a friendly bunch of outdoor enthusiasts, good people, doing good things. To learn more about them and Trash Free Trails, as well as raise money for their work head to https://www.instagram.com/rootscommunitysuffolk/