Council urging residents to give Oldham a Great British September Clean

Oldham Council is encouraging local residents to do their bit, grab their litter pickers and brushes and give the borough a Great British September Clean - all while social distancing. 

The Great British Spring Clean was one of the many events across the country which had to be postponed due to the coronavirus.

But it has been rearranged and there's still plenty of time to sign up and get involved in the clean-up, which runs from September 11 to September 27.

The national campaign, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, aims to bring together people from across neighbourhoods to clear up the litter that blights districts, parks, green spaces, villages and countryside.

During the pandemic, staff and volunteers from Oldham Council have been working to keep the borough clean. 

Last year, Keep Britain Tidy gave Oldham's streets four out of five for cleanliness, after the number of workers in the council's street cleaning team was increased.

The authority is also warning residents that action will be taken if there's evidence of people dropping litter and dumping waste which it says is "not acceptable". 

My Coldhurst is one of the local groups which have signed up to take part in the Great British September Clean.

It was set up by residents to keep the area clean, tidy and sustainable for ‘current and future’ generations. Volunteers carry out regular clean ups the last Saturday of every month.

Kamal Rob, Chair of MyColdhurst, said: “We are proud to live in Coldhurst and that’s why we give up our own time to make the area look tidy.

“It’s not easy at times but the effort is well worth it when you see streets that are clean.”

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Culture, said: “Over recent years we’ve seen a number of groups and individuals, such as OL1, the Big Failsworth Clean Up team, the Ghazali Trust, My Coldhurst, Uppermill Community Action Network and Ruth Major all regularly doing their bit and helping to clean up the borough.

“During the pandemic some of these volunteers have also helped support their communities by carrying out vital roles delivering food and medicine to vulnerable people, so they really are local champions.

“It would be great if more people followed their lead. The Great British September Clean is a good way for people to get involved and help improve their neighbourhoods.

“Money is now tighter than ever and cleaning up our communities costs residents and the council hundreds of thousands of pounds each year, so initiatives like this not only help improve the area but also save funds.

“The vast majority of our residents don’t want to see their areas looking run down and keep them clean and tidy – if more people followed their example then our steets would be even cleaner

“But, unfortunately, there is always a small minority who continue to think they can just dump waste and leave others to clear up the mess.

“If every resident picked up just one piece of litter it would make a tremendous difference.”

To find out more, visit https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean. 

The council say it will support any groups that have signed up to the initiative and can get in touch by emailing environmentalservices@oldham.gov.uk.