Agency by William Gibson 
Congleton bins are the unlikely stars of a new charity calendar, created to raise funds for children facing mental health challenges.
Since the beginning of the year, bin-fluencer Andy Bailey has been making national headlines with his rubbish hobby – snapping photos of the town’s bins and giving them a Top Trumps-style rating out of 25.
He has so far been featured on “Talk television “, “Good Morning Live”, “Loose Women” and “BBC North West Tonight”. In addition to the “Chronicle’s” pages, he has also been featured in “The Sun” and “The Metro”.
With more than 1,800 followers on social media, Mr Bailey has decided to use his platform to give something back to the community, by creating a calendar of some of Congleton’s best bins to raise money for Visyon – a children’s mental health charity based in the town.
He said: “I chose Visyon because I’ve always admired and applauded the work it does. A lot of it happens under the radar.
“It was really important to me that we keep that Congleton connection and the idea of going for a walk, getting some fresh air and relaxation, we know is great for your mental health, so there was a bit of a correlation between this project and the work that they do.” The A3 calendar features 12 of Congleton’s most popular bins, as showcased in his World Cup of Bins competition over the summer.
He said: “I wanted to use photos of bins for the calendar that were within the public domain, that people would be able to find easily. I also wanted to make sure they were all different. I held a poll on Insta to decide on the cover star and of course, Binnie-The-Pooh was chosen.” The large bear-shaped bin in Congleton Park was also voted the winner of the World Cup of Bins competition by “Chronicle” readers and followers of Mr Bailey’s social media page.
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Smile Fundraising and marketing manager at Visyon Linda de Sa said: “The Bins of Congleton posts on social media never fail to bring a smile to my face.
“It’s wonderful to see something positive online and to watch the local community join in the fun. The story behind it is heartwarming – a dad and his kids simply going for a walk, noticing and appreciating the little things around them.
“Andy’s decision to take it further by fundraising to support children and young people facing mental health challenges is truly inspiring and we wish to thank him for his support.” The calendars will be available to buy from Thursday, 21st November from the Chronicle Office on Market Square, or by emailing Mr Bailey directly at binsofcongleton@gmail.com.
Each calendar costs £12.50 with free local delivery. A minimum of £3 from each sale will go to Visyon.
(Photo: Andy Bailey).
