Celebration event for volunteers is in the bag!

Blackburn with Darwen’s loyal army of litter-pickers have been thanked at a special celebration event.

More than 80 of the avid volunteers turned out to the event at King George’s Hall, in Blackburn.

There, they were praised by top councillors for making a ‘real’ difference to the borough.

The volunteers are amongst almost 500 residents who give up their own time to collect thousands of bags of litter each year.

The success of the scheme has seen it dubbed the ‘Red Bag Revolution’ – a nod to the colour of the bags they fill.

Councillor Jim Smith, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said:

Almost 500 residents living in Blackburn with Darwen have signed-up as Keep it Tidy volunteers, which is incredible!

That’s 500 people who have received our clean-up kits and who are going out regularly where they live, doing their bit to keep their neighbourhood clean and safe.

This event was our way of expressing our sincere thanks for the wonderful work they do.

Many of the volunteers are members of the Keep Darwen Tidy and Keep Blackburn Tidy groups and are pro-active on social media promoting the good work they do all year round.

Councillor Smith added:

As a borough we are incredibly lucky to have this hardworking band of volunteers who are out day-in-day-out picking up litter.

It’s sad that they have such a big task on their hands and people are dropping litter in the first place, but they are determined to keep the borough looking its absolute best and they do a fantastic job.

We hope our residents will join us in thanking them for another record year of litter picking.

The scheme is part of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s successful ‘Your Call’ initiative, which sees volunteers helping right across the borough in different roles.

Councillor Phil Riley, a guest speaker at the event and Executive Member for Regeneration, said:

As a council we really are lucky to have so many residents who are willing to volunteer.

It’s no secret that councils are facing huge budget pressures year-on-year and their support is absolutely invaluable to us.

In taking the time to volunteer, these residents are making a real difference to where they live.

The council has hundreds of volunteering opportunities available.

To find out more, including how to become a litter picker, visit the Lancashire Volunteer Partnership website: http://www.lancsvp.og.uk/

You can also join the resident-led groups on Facebook under ‘Keep Darwen Tidy’ and ‘Keep Blackburn Tidy.’