This past weekend we took part in the nationwide Clean for the Queen event by tackling Monkton Park. This was an area we had informally cleaned just before Christmas, and the amount of rubbish that had accumulated since then was astonishing: 17 volunteers managed to fill 30 bags in just two hours.
And what volunteers! It was great to see so many new and familiar faces take part, especially on Mothering Sunday. Many thanks to Marcia and Dennis, Steven and Matthew, Melody and Maddy, Margaret, Chris, Jenny, Judith, Anne, Simon, James and Megan.
And Chippenham mayor David Powell, Jill, and our stalwart Craig got stuck in to the “Black Swamp”. This is the area that was nominated for (and won) a place on the Clean for the Queen list of “grot spots” – you can see the reason why in the photos below. This trio decided not to wait for a professional cleaning and just plunged in, clearing years, if not decades, worth of rubbish in the process. Although it’s not quite done, they made a noticeable dent in an area that has too long been treated as a dumping ground.
The only downside this weekend was that the hoops we were given this time aren’t as sturdy as the ones we normally use, so it wasn’t possible to double bag and separate recycling at the same time. I hate sending so much recycling to the landfill, but at least it’s no longer an eyesore in the park.
It’s looking like 16th April will be the next Community Clean Up. We are teaming up with a geocaching event to take part in a CITO: Cache In, Trash Out. Stay tuned for more information as plans start to take shape.
Before photos of the basketball courts in Monkton Park.
And after.
