Volunteers sweep across Derby for the Great British Spring Clean
Published: 19 April 2024
Volunteers filled lots of rubbish bags during the city centre litter pick
Volunteers swept across Derby to tidy up some of the city’s busiest areas during the Great British Spring Clean 2024.
With rubbish bags and litter pickers at the ready, and the support of Council teams and city partners, they targeted the city centre and Derby’s parks.
Back for its ninth year, The Great British Spring Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign. This year’s event ran from 15 to 30 March and encouraged everyone to pledge to pick up a bag of litter, or more.
In the city centre, streets were jet washed and cleared of litter, while gum was removed from the pavements, as the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) worked in partnership with Derby City Council.
Staff from local businesses joined staff from the BIDs, Derby Council’s Streetpride team, Public Protection Officers and councillors for a big city centre litter pick. During the rest of the campaign, the Council supported the BID teams with other tasks including sticker and fly-poster removal, weeding and cleaning the windows of vacant properties. Local businesses were encouraged to spruce up the frontages of their own premises too.
Brad Worley, Manager of Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement Districts (BID) said:
This year’s joint efforts far surpassed our expectations and it was brilliant to have the support of so many of our city partners and businesses. A huge well done and thank you to all involved.
Teams from the Council and Derby Homes also supported the Big Derby Clean Up, a litter pick along the riverside from Cathedral Green led by the University of Derby with Think Ocean and Derby College. Council teams from Localities, Streetpride, Grounds maintenance, and Derby Homes, further supported the event with jetwashing, litterpicking and planting.
The Council's Streetpride team at work sprucing up Cathedral Green
With support from Derby City Council’s Parks and Locality Teams, the Friends groups from Derby’s many parks organised volunteer litter picks throughout the campaign, helping to make our parks and open spaces more pleasant places to spend time. Areas where teams were in action included Spondon Canal park, Alvaston Park, Kiwi Park, Chellaston Park, Sinfin Moor Park LNR, Chaddesden Wood, Racecourse and Nutwood.
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, Cabinet Member for Communities and Streetpride, said:
A huge thank you to everyone who got involved in the Great British Spring Clean for their efforts and sense of pride in their city. It shows how much more we can achieve when we work together, and I hope it will inspire us all to look after our surroundings throughout the year.