Broadgreen community comes together for litter pick

Volunteer litter pickers joined local agencies for a community clean-up day in Broadgreen last weekend.

More than 30 participants filled around 40 bags of waste on June 29, with rubbish from fly tipping also cleared.

Further fly tipping identified from the clean-up will be collected this week.

The litter pick in Broadgreen (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

The clean-up was organised by Swindon Community Safety Partnership in collaboration with officers from Swindon Borough Council and South Swindon Parish Council.

The group of volunteers included members from nearby Discovery Church, residents, councillors, and officers from the Swindon central neighbourhood policing team.

They received free breakfast baps courtesy of Trenches cafe in Kembrey Park, and were given training before beginning the three-hour neighbourhood tidy-up.

The litter pick in Broadgreen (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

The event is the latest of a number of community engagement days in Broadgreen, organised by the council's partner agencies.

In March, more than 200 people attended a community engagement day organised by Swindon Community Safety Partnership, where they spoke to organisations about what they like about Broadgreen and what they would like to see improved.

A week of action took place as a result, tackling anti-social behaviour, dangerous driving, and drugs related offences, with multiple arrests, fines and vehicle seizures taking place.

The litter pick in Broadgreen (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

Speaking in May about the community events, councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for communities and joint working, said: “There has been a great response from partners in tackling various issues within Broadgreen over the past few months and it has been really positive to see the pride that local people have in their neighbourhood from the community events we have held so far.

“We want to build on that engagement and work with local residents to brighten up the neighbourhood and foster that community spirit that is so evident in the local area.

"The clean-up day is the first of what we hope will be a number of initiatives in Broadgreen.

The litter pick in Broadgreen (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

“This focus on Broadgreen provides a genuine opportunity for the community to take a lead in improving the environment and building their thriving community."

Swindon hub commander, Superintendent Guy Elkins, added: “These events are a great opportunity for the local community to get involved and help to build a better Broadgreen."

Agencies including Wiltshire Police have continued to have an active presence in the area to support the community.

Anyone who is interested in getting involved in future events can email SwindonCommunity@swindon.gov.uk.