Saturday 1 April, meet at 11 am in the village hall
For (I think) the ninth year, the village is going to take part in the Great British Spring Clean. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers on spring clean, and the people who pick up litter when out and about, our parish is kept tidy year round so hopefully this year the work won’t be too onerous.
We’ll meet at the Village Hall at 11am on 1 April and blitz the parish as far as possible, picking up litter and cleaning road signs. The aim is for volunteers to devote no more than an hour of their time in an allocated zone; we just want to rid the parish verges of red bull cans, crisp packets, sandwich boxes, plastic bottles, coffee cups, cigarette packets, old tyres and kitchen sinks! We’ve got supplies of tabards and litter grabbers, but if you have your own please bring them if possible.
We’d really welcome volunteers.
Please join us at 11 am with:
- any hi-viz wear you have (tabards/velcro strips, etc)
- sturdy footwear and gloves
- hand wipes (if required)
- rubber gloves, buckets and cloths if you’d like to be assigned to sign cleaning
Older children are very welcome, but please supervise them.
If you’re in an outlying area (or would like to work at a different time) it is fine to start to your litter-picking or sign-washing without coming up to the village hall at 11 am, but please let us know so we don’t duplicate effort, and so we can arrange to get litter pickers and bags to you.
We’re providing hot butties and tea/coffee at the village hall after the pick and hope as many volunteers as possible will join us for that.
General Advice for Volunteers
We recommend that you avoid:
- Potentially hazardous objects such as unidentified cans or canisters, oil drums and chemical containers.
- Sharp objects such as broken glass and disposable BBQs – these should be collected in separate containers not litter bags.
- Clinical waste such as needles/syringes – do not attempt to move them yourself. Make a note of their location and inform your local council.
- Hazardous areas such as deep or fast-flowing water, steep, slippery or unstable banks, sharp rocks, derelict buildings, busy roads and electric fences (which are identified by yellow warning signs).
- Working alone – try to stay in sight and earshot of others but if not possible then let someone know where you’ve gone and when to expect you back.
To avoid illness from poor hygiene, all those taking part in the clean-up must:
- Wear heavy-duty, protective gloves at all times.
- Cover any cuts (however minor) with surgical tape or a waterproof plaster.
- Keep hands away from mouth and eyes while litter-picking.
- Wash hands and forearms before eating, drinking, smoking or going to the toilet.