The Great British Spring clean has come to an end for another year. Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins takes a look back at the importance of community participation.
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been celebrating the Great British Spring Clean and Liverpool residents have come out in force.
The annual event, run by Keep Britain Tidy, is a nation-wide environmental campaign that asks people to come together as Litter Heroes and help clear litter from our streets, parks and greenspaces.
Council staff work every day to keep the streets clean and tidy, but we’re also deeply indebted to our regular groups for their support.
Every single year, I’m delighted to see how many people across the city get stuck in, and this year is no different. There have been almost 60 events stretching right across the length and breadth of Liverpool, including our launch event at Thirlmere Park.
On Friday 13 March, we celebrated the start of the fortnight with an incredible number of volunteers including Bait ul Lateef Mosque, Homebaked CLT, Riverside Housing, Veterans HQ and local residents, who were the perfect role models to kick off this year’s campaign.
We’ve handed out an incredible 2,400 bags to volunteers this year and have made sure that each group has had the equipment they need to take part. People of all ages got stuck in, with each and every single person making a massive difference to their community.
To everyone who took part, I’d like to say a huge thank you. We’ve seen groups made up of neighbours, housing associations, police, businesses, and schools working together to help make our city cleaner and greener.
Whether it’s been a small event, or one with over 100 participants, you’ve all made a noticeable improvement to where you live.
The volunteers who have taken part aren’t the people littering our streets, but they have pride in their community and want to make a difference for everyone living there. While in an ideal world we wouldn’t need events like this, it’s wonderful that they see communities collaborating to make the city a better place.
We are very lucky in Liverpool to have a huge number of dedicated groups looking after our streets and greenspaces, including our Litter Networks and Park Friends groups. This year, they all held their own event during the Spring Clean and run regular litter picking and environment-focused sessions throughout the entire year.
The Great British Spring Clean might be over until next year, but it’s never too late to make a difference in your neighbourhood. You can find a full list of groups and how to get in touch on our website. It’s not just a chance to look after your streets, but it’s also a great way to get into the outdoors and meet new people.
And if you need any more convincing, check out our gallery below.
Screenshot
Screenshot
Screenshot
