Why not come along and lend a hand?

I note from the informative blog of Brownhills Councillor Steve Wade that there will be a Big Tidy Up day in Brownhills this Thursday, 3rd March 2016 organised by Walsall Council, the Town Centre and Area Partnerships.

Volunteers will be meeting in Ravens Court at 8:00am and cleaning areas around the town centre, but I’m sure if you pop up later there will be folk around to get you started.

Dianne Mansell from the Brownhills Town Centre Partnership had this to say about the event:

The area being cleared is more on the boundary of Tesco removing shrubbery that is causing more issues than it solves by its asthetics for example runbish issues and rodent problems.

Tesco is fully supporting the clean up with a team of people and the project will create a long term solution to a town centre problem instead of just a litter pick of a problem area.

Everything we are doing this year is fully creating long term solutikns rather than short term fixes. Hope this makes sense x

It’s sad that such days are necessary, but with no light on the horizon regarding Ravens Court following the abject failure of political promises of imminent regeneration, and with legal action a slow process, a community clean up seems like a good interim solution. With all the ‘Clean for the Queen’ stuff currently going on, this fits in well.

I find it sad and am a little conflicted as I always have been that we need volunteers to do the work, but sadly with cutbacks and increasing quantities of flytipping and littering, it seems like the only solution. Brownhills has a long history of people quietly volunteering to clean up and look after the local environment – top people like Brian Stringer and his team, and Malcolm in Clayhanger have spent years clearing up the trash the inconsiderate and uncouth leave behind, mostly unnoticed and without press and social media publicity, generally unthanked.

It’s a little-known fact that the local canals are cleaned almost exclusively by crews of volunteers (mainly older gentleman it seems) and Community Payback Crews. These volunteers, working for the Canal & River Trust, were cleaning grot from the canal in Pleck last summer.

I note also that the local Conservative team, led by prospective Council candidate Ben ‘Ten’ Brittain are holding a ‘Clean for the Queen’ event at 4pm in Ravens Court on Saturday, 5th March. This seems an odd timing to me, but it may be the only time they or the photographer could manage.

I will be interested to see if they support the official council event.

I wholly support the volunteers working tirelessly for Brownhills, and salute you all. I notice in the wind-up to the forthcoming council elections such things are beginning to be a bit of a political grandstanding point, but I think particularly of those working across our area, from Norton Bog to the canals, from the verges to the commons, who’ve been beavering away selflessly for years, just making stuff better for us and our community.

I know it’s hard with council tax rising nearly 4% this year, but this isn’t about politics. It’s about improving our community for the benefit of all. Please help if you can.