Local people, local passion,
local trails.
Introducing TFT Community Hubs. They're Trash Free Trails
on your doorstep, in your towns, and on your local trails.
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Representing community establishments - everything from bike shops to cafes, pubs to community centres - Community Hubs bring our mission to their local area.
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You can expect regular trail cleans events, a welcoming space for your passion to protect wild places, and some epic upcoming projects to get involved with.
Scroll down to learn more about the programme, find your local Community Hub, and discover how you yourself can become one!
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Powered by Strategic Partners The North Face and the European Outdoor Conservation Association, alongside the Hydro Flask Parks For All Fund.
Check out upcoming Community Hub events!
Plas y Brenin, Eryri National Park
We're Going Smallnormous
Our vision of a trash free future isn't about making TFTHQ bigger. Instead, we're investing in local trail community leaders.
These individuals already have the knowledge and passion to protect their wild places - by becoming a Community Hub they receive bespoke resources and support direct from our team to help tackle single-use pollution and promote nature connection in their community.
It's not about getting bigger. It's about building an ecosystem of small, passionate communities across the world who are taking action. We call this 'going smallnormous'.
Find Your Local Community Hub!
Use our interactive map to find your local Community Hub. Once you've found one near you, simply click on the pin to find out what's happening in your area!
No Community Hub near you? Fear not! New Community Hubs are signing up all the time; check back here in a couple weeks to see if one in your local area has registered.
In the mean time...
Why not use our DIO Toolkit to organise a trail clean in your local area, and find out who else shares your passion for local trails!
Or, if you want to bring the TFT spirit to your trails, why not become a Community Hub!
Hard to Reach or Hardly Reached?
We believe that the terminology “Hard To Reach” has somehow placed the impetus upon the very people in that bracket. Somehow, it’s the fact that they are apparently Hard To Reach that has stopped the outdoor community being able to reach them. Hard To Reach implies that there is something that these communities have done or not done, something about the way that they are that makes them unreachable. That simply cannot be the case!
What is the case is that these communities are drastically underserved by society as a whole. They are underfunded, not listened to and ignored. Does that make them hard to reach? We don’t think so.
These communities are not hard to reach. They are Hardly Reached.
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What are we doing?
Thanks to support from our long term Strategic Partners The North Face & the European Outdoor Conservation Association and brand new Programme Partners Hydro Flask, we’re directing our attention towards Hardly Reached communities. We are putting our money where our mouth is and working with our Community Hubs to go to people in their places and listen to them, and learn more about what will support them to experience the outdoors in a safe and welcoming way.
Our Community Hub leaders are paving the way for this. We know one of the challenges of outreach work is the repeated attempt for a universal approach. Every community is different and has different needs and desires. Instead of creating a blanket programme, we’re providing our Community Hubs with the resources to meet members of their community who are hardly reached in a way that works for them.
One of our values at Trash Free Trails is that ‘everyone is welcome’, but we recognise that just saying this isn’t enough. We want to be action-driven, solutions-oriented, ear-to-the-ground; listening. The best ideas on how we’ll build a trash free future don’t come from our team - they’re in the hands of the people who are doing it themselves. Local people, local passion, all in celebration of a shared love of local trails.
See a Community Hub in action!
Meet Pedal Progression! They are one of our Hubs in the heart of Bristol providing unique mountain bike coaching for young people in the city.
Check out the way Olly delivers this programme here, by combining trail cleaning with nature connection activities for an unmatched day out on the trails. Just one of the many things our Hubs are able to do!
Become a TFT Community Hub!
Join an international ecosystem of small businesses, community organisations, Trail Associations, tour providers, outdoor centres and more who are helping their communities reconnect with nature and protect their trails for the future.
It's free to become a TFT Community Hub, thanks to our partners The North Face, the European Outdoor Conservation Association and the Hydro Flask Parks For All Fund.
Keep scrolling to find out what you can expect, what Community Hubs get up to, and how to join!
For more information contact Leigh on leigh@trashfreetrails.org
The Big Rock Cafe, Porthmadog
What do Community Hubs Do?
Community Hubs offer a place for members of their community to go to share concerns about and ideas for protecting local wild places.
They organise regular trail clean events throughout the year, and get to attend some of the key events in the Trash Free Trails calendar. As part of their trail cleans Community Hubs contribute vital data to the State of Our Trails Report on the prevalence, distribution and impacts of Single-Use Pollution on their trails.
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Community Hubs are invited to get involved as much as they want to with all our campaigns and projects, however we ask you commit to organising 4 trail cleans across the year.
What Can You Expect
As part of being a Community Hub, you receive:
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A physical kit including branding for your Hub and Trail Clean equipment
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A digital kit of resources to help you share the news that you're a Community Hub
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Promotion of your events through Trash Free Trails channels
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Invitations to TFT events across the year
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The support of the Programme Coordinator and local A-TEAM ambassadors to help you with your activations
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Access to an online forum of global Community Hubs who are also bringing the TFT mission to their local areas
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An opportunity to turn customers into community and community into customers.
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We also have an exciting project-in-development for our Community Hubs to get involved with. Announcement coming soon!
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What We Ask of You
This is a programme you can make you own, but to get started here's a few things we love to see from our Community Hubs:
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Organise and host a minimum of 4 trail cleans per year
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Report your finding to the State of Our Trails Report, helping us build a better picture of pollution on your local trails
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Engage your community with our mission and DIO approach
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Shout about your participation in the programme both at your Hub and on your social media
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Keep an open line of communication with TFTHQ to share your ideas, so we can grow together!
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To find out more about how to become a Community Hub, email Leigh on leigh@trashfreetrails.org
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