YOUNGSTERS TEAM UP WITH CHARITY FOR SPRING-CLEAN OF HULL ESTATE

YOUNGSTERS TEAM UP WITH CHARITY FOR SPRING-CLEAN OF HULL ESTATE

An army of youngsters joined staff from the East Hull charity EMS to give their neighbourhood a spring-clean during their Easter holidays in the first of a series of community blitzes in 2010.EMS, which is responsible for neighbourhood management in the Southcoates East Ward in partnership with Gateway – Hull’s housing pathfinder – and the Preston Road Neighbourhood Development Company, organised the community clean-up. The event was also supported by the area’s community wardens. Between them, some 10 bags of rubbish were collected including four with cans and bottles to be recycled. One of the eager volunteers who gave up her morning to collect litter, 12-year-old Kennadie Hardcastle of Kilnsea Grove, said: “I really enjoyed it and would do it again. There was so much rubbish which could be recycled and I want to see my family recycle much more.”

EMS Chief Executive Jan Boyd is planning more street tidy-ups during each of the school holidays this year. She says: “There was a lot of litter to pick up around Kilnsea Grove, but our team of helpers was a great credit to the area. I hope residents can appreciate the efforts that went into today’s clean-up. We monitor the area regularly for problems such as fly-tipping and today spotted some abandoned bikes, which we will alert the Council to remove.”

EMS, which has been praised nationally for its community safety work with other agencies in east Hull, is launching two more local initiatives with Hull City Council’s Park Area Team and Gateway in the Spring and Summer. It is spearheading Park Area in Bloom, an annual competition to encourage residents, community groups and businesses to improve their gardens and buildings, and the Doorstep Challenge, to spur residents to spruce up their front gardens and be in with a chance of winning £100.