An army of volunteers is descending on Swindon's town centre over the next two weeks as part of Swindon Borough Council's Big Town Centre Clean-Up.
Residents, local businesses, councillors and council staff have come forward to take more than 230 volunteer places to help improve the appearance of the town centre, with the first session taking place earlier today (Monday, 17 August).
Volunteers are taking part in a range of activities, including litter-picking, restoring benches and revitalising flower beds, with today's group focused on litter-picking along Canal Walk and The Parade, and clearing vegetation near Fleming Way.
The efforts of volunteers are complementing the ongoing work being carried out by Council teams this month as part of The Big Town Centre Clean-Up.
This includes repairing damaged paving, removing graffiti, power-washing of pavements, and clearing weeds. Work has also been completed to restore the Golden Lion statue at one of the town centre's most prominent locations.
While more than 85 per cent of the Council's budget is dedicated to delivering essential statutory services, including adult and children's social care, The Big Town Centre Clean-Up is focused on making targeted improvements to the town centre by intensifying existing services and directing resources where they can have the greatest visual impact.
With approximately 95 per cent of land and buildings in the town centre under private ownership, the Council has also called on property owners and landlords to play their part by addressing maintenance issues.
Councillor Kevin Parry, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Recycling and Streetscene, said: "It was fantastic to attend todayβs session to welcome the first group of volunteers and join them in getting stuck to making a visible difference to our town centre.
"The response from the community has been incredible, with more than 230 volunteer places booked across the programme. It shows how much people care about Swindon and their willingness to get involved in improving the places we all share.
"The Big Town Centre Clean-Up brings together volunteers, local businesses, community groups and the Council. By working together, we can achieve far more than any one organisation could on its own.
Anyone interested in taking part can find out more and register at https://thebigtowncentrecleanup.eventbrite.co.uk/
