The Big Tidy’s biggest litter pick yet!

The Big Tidy has held their biggest litter pick yet!

On Friday 22 July, over 100 young people aged 16-17 descended on Lawrence Hill. Their aim? To bring a serious sparkle back to the area. The National Citizen Service (NCS) had reached out to the Big Tidy team to find out how we could work together. Giving their participants a chance to contribute to their local community. And honestly, what better way to contribute than litter picking?

The first of many…

For the first of three litter picks with NCS across the summer, the participants gathered in Easton Leisure Centre’s car park. The centre was an amazing support for the event, offering shelter from the rain and free day passes for the participants. We also had support from local businesses; including The Wild Goose, Nadine’s Caribbean Food, and Barwaaqo Restaurant, who offered water refills to thirsty litter pickers.

The Big Tidy crew came along, removing tags and graffiti from the mural on the side of the leisure centre. The mural was created back in 2019 with the help of Mayor Marvin Rees.

Eager litter pickers cover miles

Firstly our participants met with Lawrence Hill Councillor, Yassin Mohamud. They were then equipped with litter pickers, waste bags, and safety information, and set off into the roads of Lawrence Hill. They covered a total of 16 streets, 2 housing estates and 3 parks, as well as the lane behind the leisure centre. Despite the rain, the litter bags soon piled up.

After a well-deserved lunch break, participants returned to the area around the leisure centre to finish the lane. Bringing the litter bags together for our crew to pick up. It was great to see just how much litter was collected – 98 bags in total!

Thanks to their hard work, the streets of Lawrence Hill looked much cleaner and greener. Litter picks a great way to spruce up an area. They also show just how much we can get done in our communities when we work together.