Pupils from Cranmer Primary School in Mitcham kick started Merton’s Big Tidy-Up weekend with the help of a litter-busting special star guest.
Haydon with Cranmer pupils at today’s Big Tidy Up
Haydon the Womble, of AFC Wimbledon fame, paid the school a special visit this morning (3 March). Like all good Wombles, he had litter-pick in hand and did his bit to keep Merton clean.
The school clean-up was the first of the Big Tidy Up weekend. There are five further community clean-ups happening this weekend too:
Saturday 4 March
- Meet outside the civic centre
10am -1pm - Meet at Haydon’s Road Rec by the car park
10am-1pm - Meet at St Helier Roundabout
10am -1pm - Figges Marsh area
Meet in the car park near the corner of London Road and Gorringe Park Avenue
10am-1pm
Sunday 5 March
Ravensbury Park
Meet at 10am -1pm
Merton has signed up to Keep Britain Tidy’s UK-wide Big Tidy Up, just one of the ways in which it is working to clear rubbish from the borough’s streets and tackle litter louts who drop tonnes of rubbish in Merton every year at an annual cost of over £5 million to Merton’s taxpayers.
Local environmental group Sustainable Merton will be organising a clean-up in Morden town centre and will be joined by over 20 young people from the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden who have a long history of helping with keeping Morden clean.
Sustainable Merton will also be organising a clean-up in Figges Marsh with the residents’ group there. The Gorringe Park Pub staff will be taking part too.
The Friends of Ravensbury Park, at their monthly workday, are inviting members of the community to join them to ensure the park is spick and span for park users to enjoy.
Organising your own community tidy-up
The council is on hand to help community groups, businesses and individuals organise their own litter-picks. To get involved, people should call 020 8545 3173.
Merton Council cabinet member for street cleanliness and parking Councillor Ross Garrod said: “It is great to these young people get involved, so a big thank you must go to Cranmer School. It is also fantastic that Haydon the Womble could be there too. Wombles are well known for being environmentally conscientious and for keeping the place clean a tidy, so it was wonderful to have his support. It is also great that we have so many people in Merton who love Merton. Some of those people have committed time to be part of our tidy-up this weekend.”
Cranmer Primary School’s science leader Miss Rachel Cherry said: “It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to help their community and learn about how important it is to keep the environment clean and tidy.
“The children really enjoyed it. As well as the usual litter they found two pairs of shoes, some broken CDs and a duvet cover. They have been really surprised by what they found in such a short time.”
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