Successful community clear-up
(Date of issue: Tuesday, 9 June 2009)
Carlisle City Council and more than 40 local volunteers mucked
in last Saturday (6 June), as part of the BBC Breathing Places
campaign.
A clean-up at Petteril Valley Park in South East Carlisle,
started at 10am and included support from the City Council’s Green
Spaces team, Carlisle South Community Association, the 22nd
Carlisle Cub & Scout Group (Upperby), Cumbria Canoe Club and
Eden Rivers Trust.
Volunteers spread out across the site with gloves,
litter-pickers and rubbish bags to pick up as much litter and
rubbish as they could find. Whilst Carlisle Canoe Club (armed with
a canoe) and Eden Rivers Trust tackled the rubbish in the
river.
A skip full of rubbish was lifted from the river and included
old carpets, a lawn mower, a vacuum cleaner, old mattresses, a
fire-grate, railings, a grating, bits of motorcycles, car tyres,
bits of old bicycles and other scrap metal. Carlisle City Council’s
recycling team sorted through the bags of rubbish to recycle as
much as possible, including glass bottles, plastic and metal
cans.
Lee-Ann Kerr from the 22nd Carlisle Cub & Scout Group
(Upperby) said:
“I think the event was a brilliant idea - good
for the communities and it raises awareness for the environment.
What the cubs and scouts achieved goes towards their environmental
award.”
The event formed part of the BBC Breathing Places Dirty Weekend
(6-7 June 2009).
In the next 12 months, the City Council has committed to make
space for nature and create wildlife friendly communities in urban
and rural locations. Working in partnership with the BBC, Carlisle
City Council will encourage nature novices to join events, learn
new skills and make a long lasting difference to their
community.
Cllr Ray Bloxham, Portfolio holder for Environment and
Infrastructure, said:
“Everyone and anyone can get involved. We’ll be
teaming up with community associations, schools, libraries,
children’s centres and existing wildlife organisations. I’d like to
thank all those who gave up their free time to help out at last
weekend’s Petteril Valley event. Their hard work will make a big
difference to the local environment.”
Other Carlisle events will follow through the year.