Here in Berwick-upon-Tweed, we are fortunate to live in an area with clean air and have clean water from our taps.

When we go to our local beach we know that it is safe for us and our children to bathe there.

Only a short distance from the town, we can enjoy the wonders of a starlit night because north Northumberland has one of the lowest levels of light pollution in Britain.

It is up to each of us to play our part in keeping our environment clean and “green”.

We need to support the efforts of the local authorities by increasing the amounts of waste we recycle. Each of us can help recycle Green Waste, bottles, cans and cardboard. We can also compost our own kitchen waste and shred bills and receipts so that the paper can be re-reused and trees and forests saved.

We can install energy-efficient bulbs in our houses to conserve electricity and, when we are next looking for a new car, buy a "green” one.

Better still, why not walk or cycle? We are fortunate in having easy access to open spaces and relatively quiet roads, as well as way-marked walking and cycling routes, footpaths and bridleways.

For Berwick residents and visitors, the River Tweed is famous for the broad sweep of its estuary as it meets the sea, as well as for its fish and abundant wildlife. We have a responsibility to be guardians of the Tweed and our other local rivers, to conserve them and keep them from being polluted and degraded.