Families and community volunteers grabbed the rubbish bags and gloves to tackle litter in Ramsgate during the bank holiday weekend.
Six families from Newington Community Primary School met joined Newington’s Independent Ramsgate Town Councillor Tricia Hartley and school family liaison officers Sharon Robb and Emma Manning last Saturday to tackle Ramsgate litter hotspots.
The group cleaned the alleyway along the side of Newington school – and filled 10 huge bags with rubbish.
The children also made posters asking residents not to drop litter and to clean up after their dogs. These were laminated and displayed on the fence alongside the alley.
Sharon said: “We’re delighted with the response from the children who made posters and the families who gave up their morning to help clean up. Many of our children walk to school down the alley, so we all wanted it to be a nicer experience for them. A couple of the parents are even talking about setting up a regular litter club in the area, which would be fantastic.”
Tricia added: “Our youngest volunteer was five and our oldest was 60, so it was a real community effort. I’d like to say a big thank you to all the families and staff at the school, and particularly Sharon who organised the poster competition and helped run the event. I’d also like to thank Thanet District Council, who lent us equipment and have now supplied extra bins at both ends of the alley – so no-one has any excuse for dropping litter there in future!”
On Monday four volunteers from Ramsgate Town Team tackled litter in La Belle Alliance Square and Camden Road, and collected six bags of rubbish.
Town Team chair and town promoter Rebekah Smith said: “Everyone wants their street to look clean, but this is an area that’s had particular problems recently, partly because some residents are struggling to use their seagull-proof bags properly.
“So, as well as cleaning up, we’ve been posting leaflets through doors offering help and advice, which we hope will make a long-term difference.
“If you can’t join a clean-up but want to help, you can join the Town Team’s Ramsgate ROAD (Ramsgate Residents One A Day) group by committing to pick up just one piece of litter every day. We have nearly 400 members now – that’s 146,000 fewer pieces of litter on our streets each year!”
To join, visit the Ramsgate ROAD Facebook page or email [email protected]