Carlsberg UK's top team and the President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Bill Bryson, will be rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty to ‘Stop the Drop’ in Northamptonshire [1]. The respected author and countryside campaigner will be joined by Isaac Sheps, CEO of Carlsberg UK, and his Board to clear up litter on the surrounding land of Carlsberg’s Northampton brewery.

CPRE and the world famous brewer came together in April this year to help tackle the growing problem of litter. As the country gears up for the World Cup CPRE and Carlsberg UK are aiming to remind people to think twice before they ‘drink and drop’ and argues that in addition to responsible drinking, drinkers should also consider a 'responsible' way of disposing of their cans and bottles.

Bill Bryson, author and CPRE President, said: “I’ve lived in this country for 25 years and I will be having palpitations with the rest of the nation when England play their World Cup games. As the tournament gets going many people will be heading out to the countryside to kick a ball about themselves and we want to remind them to take their rubbish home with them. England is home to the beautiful game and we want to keep it a beautiful country as well.” 

Isaac Sheps, CEO Carlsberg UK, said: As part of our commitment to our CSR programme and in particular to the local community, Carlsberg UK are proud to play a part in encouraging Carlsberg drinkers not to "drink and drop". We have allowed staff time out of the business to support this cause and are pleased that we can support the CPRE in their campaign"

Carlsberg’s support of the CPRE is just one of a number of local community activities it has planned for this year. The company's staff will all have the chance during the year to "engage with society" through these initiatives and be proud of giving something back to the community.

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Contacts:
Gareth Roberts, Director of Sponsorship and Media Relations for Carlsberg UK – 01604-668866 and
Jack Neill-Hall, CPRE Senior Press Officer: 020 7981 2819 or out of hours: 077 3933 2796 and
Sally Hanrahan, Branch Development and Education Manager for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Northamptonshire Branch - 07990 814601

Notes to Editor
1. Stop the Drop is a flagship CPRE campaign which calls for a national, long term education campaign and a change to the law on roadside litter. To date the campaign has inspired the formation of 286 litter picking groups across England, who have collectively cleared 35,068 bags of litter.

• Carlsberg UK has an active Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, which covers a number of areas, including Responsible Drinking, the Environment and supporting local community initiatives.
• CPRE in Northamptonshire is active in the Stop the Drop campaign against litter. In Northamptonshire, more than 70 parishes and other groups are planning to run community litter picks during spring 2010. Further information about the campaign can be found at its websites: www.cpre.org.uk and www.litteraction.org.uk
• CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk