A fairy could make Marsden residents’ wishes of dog poo free streets come true, thanks to a madcap bid by two friends.
And Marsden resident Julia Meaton and her friend Lisa Stringer hope their real life poo fairy initiative will also cause a real buzz around the world in the fight to rid dog mess from the streets.
Whilst previous anti-dog dirt campaigns have encouraged dog owners not to believe in fairies to clean up their dog’s mess, the pair want to see what would happen if they turned the myth into an actual role to try combat the problem in the village.
A life-size fairy picking up poo could soon become a common sight in Marsden, if someone is found to take on the job.
They would also get to talk to owners about the importance of cleaning up after their pets and hand out bags to encourage them to do it themselves.
It is the latest scheme for the dynamic duo, who work under the name, Marsden Poo Patrol, and set up a website where people can report dog dirt hotspots last year.
Julia, who has two border collies called Bob and Roxy, said: “A lot has already been done to try address this problem but it’s still a really big issue in Marsden.
“Posters that tell people not to believe in the poo fairy have already been tried so we thought we would try the opposite instead.
“It’s quite an unusual idea and we hope that employing a real poo fairy could be a light-hearted way to tackle the problem and generate a lot of attention to our anti-dog dirt campaign.
“Picking up poo is not something dog wardens are employed to do and a poo fairy would work alongside them to promote responsible dog ownership.”
They want to employ a part-time official who would go out on the beat around two afternoons every week and use social media to promote their efforts.
Julia said: “We are currently in the process of obtaining funding, which we hope will allow us to employ someone, either a man or a woman who lives in the area, on a regular basis each week for one year to begin with.
“We want it to be a fun role where the person selected will get to become an ambassador on the issue for the village and be a friendly face that people can go to.
“They would not have to dress up but it would be great if they were willing to get into the spirit and wear a pair of wings or a wizard outfit, which we think will help create a great buzz about the project.
“I think it will have a positive effect on dog fouling and hope it will cause dog owners to become so embarrassed that they start to clean up after their dog.
“If we’re successful then I don’t see why similar schemes couldn’t be rolled out in towns and cities across the world.”
For more information on the scheme or to find out how and when to apply for the role, go to www.facebook.com/poopatrolmarsden
Click here to take you back to more Huddersfield news .
Want to read, watch and hear more? You can download the FREE Examiner Apple App here , the FREE Examiner Android App here or you can view the paper as an e-edition on your Apple, Android or Kindle device by clicking here
To follow us on Twitter click here
