BODMIN’s litter picking heroes were given a surprise to remember - when an invite to a Big Lunch at the Eden Project saw them meet the King and Queen.

The Bodmin Tidy It Team, also known as the Bodmin Bluetits, were invited to join other community groups from across the Duchy at the event at the Eden Project.

In keeping with protocol related to royal visits, Tom and Gary, two of the regular volunteers at the group, which meets every Wednesday in a different part of the town to undertake litter picking while socialising with each other, were not aware of the identity of the VIP guests at the lunch event.

So, it was a surprise when it transpired they would be greeted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who prior to their coronation, were regular figures in the Cornwall owing to their roles as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

However, the dizzy heights of a royal meeting was short lived as the following day would see the popular Bodmin volunteer group back to their weekly duties, collecting the litter around the town. Their latest total has seen the group pick up 403 bags of litter in the first three months of 2026.

A spokesperson for the group said: “The team collected 11 bags of rubbish and nine bags of recycling. Our running total is now 403 bags.

“Thanks to everyone who helped today, Jeremy, Tom, Linda, Gary, Nigel, Max, Sue, Jo, Andy, Paul, Steve and Anne and also to Biffa and Clean Cornwall.

“Tom and Gary represented our team at The Big Lunch held at the Eden Project on the previous day. They were surprised to find the VIP guests were King Charles and Camilla so had a chat with them and enjoyed the cakes! Thank you Clean Cornwall for inviting us.”