Congleton Man’s Bin Photography Hobby Leads to Charity Calendar

A resident of Congleton, Cheshire, Andy Bailey, who maintains an unusual interest in documenting waste receptacles in his hometown, has produced a calendar for charity. Mr. Bailey commenced photographing bins at the beginning of the year, and his Instagram profile has since garnered nearly 2,000 followers. Mr. Bailey reported that he currently possesses 130 images of bins situated within his local vicinity. Some of these bins have been assigned names that Mr. Bailey believes reflect their characteristics. He noted, “the cover star, Binnie the Pooh, is September – surrounded by leaves,” adding, “Jeremy Cor-bin is one of the bins, the month of July. It’s red, it leans to the left.” He also stated, “You want the images to tie in with the different times of the year.” Mr. Bailey indicated that £3 from the sale of each calendar would be donated to Visyon, a charity based in Congleton. He commented, “It kind of slips under the radar a bit.“They do an awful lot of work with young people and their mental health, but it’s probably one of those charities that doesn’t get an awful lot in terms of exposure.” He reported having sold approximately 50 calendars thus far, with an aspiration to sell at least 100. Mr. Bailey further mentioned a synergy between the bin project and the charity’s mission, as the activity of taking photographs has also benefited his own mental health. He stated, “I must’ve walked every square inch of Congleton and the surrounding areas – the green spaces, the rows of shops, the canal that runs around the town as well.” The calendars are obtainable by messaging Mr. Bailey on Instagram, and he also intends to persuade some local shops to stock them. He said, “We’ve got 12 really good photos,” adding, “The bins themselves have been selected by followers of the Instagram page, so it’s 12 very different bins.” He further explained, “It was important that we had different-looking bins, different styles of bins, in different parts of the town.” Mr. Bailey confirmed that all bins featured in the calendar are publicly accessible, allowing purchasers to visit them. All locations are within a few miles of Congleton town centre. The distinctive calendar has even garnered international interest, attracting attention from Australia. Mr. Bailey remarked, “It’s made the news in Australia now – it proper has gone global.” He added, “The thought that somebody could be staring at Congleton bins somewhere in Brisbane, there’s something quite appealing about that.” He suggested to prospective buyers that if they only wrote on the calendar in pencil, it could be repurposed in 2031, 2042, and 2053, as the dates align. He concluded, “Good value, I’d say.”