Hayle schoolgirl collected 66kg of dog mess Upton Towans

7th February Charity Environment People Hayle
By Paul Armstrong Senior Reporter @ThePacket  

A Hayle schoolgirl has collected a staggering 66kg of dog mess from the sand dunes near her home over the past few weeks to raise money for a volunteering trip to Cambodia.

Elsa Henwood has been at Upton Towans beach over the past four weeks and has cleared a whopping (and rather disappointing) 66kg of dog mess from the footpath.

She is fundraising for a (school organised) volunteering trip in 2026 to Cambodia, all of the money must be fundraised in some way.

Elsa wanted to raise the money by helping the community in some way. She has set up a GoFundMe page for donations and for people to suggest where she should clear up next.

As a dog owning family, they decided that this much needed clearance would be a good way of creating cleaner spaces for the community and its families.

The dumped dog poo causes severe environmental damage to the dunes (Image: Vicky Henwood/Facebook)

She will be moving to different local spaces over the next 18months, making as much of a difference as we can twice monthly.

Sunday, February 2 saw a second visit to Upton Towans, heading to the Gwithian end of the footpath.

32kg of dog mess was collected from the woodlands walk and footpath, “A total that we were not expecting as it always seemed so much cleaner than the South end, said Elsa’s mum Vicky: “We also had a swift tidy of the South path which although remains looking better, needed some attention.

“As always, we met some lovely walkers and families, collected some fantastic donations both online and in person and left feeling that we had made a large dent in the dog mess problem on this wonderful footpath.”

She said a total of 66kg has been removed from this area over the last four weeks and hopes that (the now) more visible mess, will be easier seen and removed by dog owners using the footpaths.

Elsa has launched a GoFundMe raising money in aid of Camps Foundation and every donation will help.

She is partaking in many fundraising ventures from bake sales and car-boot sales to sponsored dog poo clearance. Her aim is to raise as much money as possible before her journey to Cambodia in the summer of 2026. The target is £4980, set by Camps International.

Her mum says nature and the environment have always been a large part of Elsa's life. Her dog Otis instilled a passion for animals, their care, and the protection of the space’s animals need to thrive.

“Her main fundraising focus for 2025 is to visit local pathways and footpaths in her home of Cornwall, clearing them of unwanted dog mess so that the spaces can be enjoyed by all. Not only will the spaces be clear of poop, but she hopes that her efforts will encourage others to be more mindful of these important shared spaces. The more donations, the more encouragement for her to continue this worthy and quite frankly, grim task!”

Starting in Hayle at the Towans, Elsa will then visit sites such as Tehidy and Great Flat Lode to start her clearance journey.

You can donate to Elsa and make donations here