More than 75 residents turned out to the launch of Street Champions, a new scheme which aims to make Merton a cleaner and safer place to live.
Local volunteers who attended the event – which took place at Mostyn Gardens on the 29 September – gave over 200 hours of their time carrying out a range of activities, such as bulb planting and fence painting.
The initiative encourages volunteers to sign up as Street Champions and report local issues, on behalf of their community, to the council. These issues can include graffiti and abandoned vehicles, fly-tipping and any other anti-social behaviour which affects the lives of local residents.
Some residents may want to get more involved in local community clean ups, watering street trees or the planting of flowers and shrubs. By reporting issues as and when they happen, Street Champions can help the council address local concerns swiftly for the benefit of the community.
Small actions can help transform Merton’s neighbourhoods into even greater places to live and work. A lot of work has already been achieved in making Merton a cleaner area and, more recently, the borough was awarded four out of five stars at this year’s Clean Britain Awards.
Councillor Mark Betteridge, cabinet member for performance and implementation, said: “It was great to see so many local residents, of all ages, at the launch event. We are really fortunate to live in a borough where so many people volunteer and take an active and valuable part in looking after their local area. Working alongside the council, this activity makes a huge difference to everyday life in our borough and helps keep Merton clean, green and safe. We think the new Street Champions scheme will help take this good work a step further and I look forward to more people joining this important initiative.’
For more information, please visit http://www.merton.gov.uk/streetchampions
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Notes to editors:
– Further information on Street Champions is available at http://www.merton.gov.uk/streetchampions
– The Clean Britain Awards 2012 are run by the Chartered institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), in association with the British Cleaning Council, and are open to all local authorities and other organisations involved in managing public spaces. More information is available at http://www.cleanbritainawards.co.uk/entry.php