Over the last couple of years, residents from across Beeston Hill have come together though the ‘Better Beeston’ campaign to try and tackle the massive issue of litter in our community. Seeing our streets lined with rubbish makes many of us living here feel miserable, and to onlookers it appears that nobody cares.
However, this is not the case. Many local people give up their time on a regular basis, whatever the weather, armed with their litter pickers, to clear up the rubbish that we see around us on a daily basis. It is often a thankless task and one that seems never-ending but a recent project has shown how valuable this work is.
Over the last three weeks a small, but dedicated team of volunteers have got up early on Saturday morning (in the cold and the drizzle!) to tackle the mountain of rubbish by the slip road on to the M621 between Beeston and Holbeck. Anyone who drives that way will have noticed how the litter has built up and how awful it looks! Being a busy and potentially dangerous spot to litter pick, these brilliant volunteers decided to get to work at 7:30am to beat the traffic.
One of these volunteers, Telma from Holbeck, describes their efforts as “turning sad into glad”. She said:
“Driving past that dirty junction was making me sad every day. After speaking to Clara, who is a Better Beeston volunteer, and a few other friends, we decided we wanted to do something about it! It took us three early Saturday mornings (just 1 hour), but it was worth it.”
As you can see from the photos, the results have been amazing and so clear to see – what a transformation!
It is important to celebrate good people, doing good things in our community; people giving up their time for the benefit of others. As local Hunslet and Riverside Councillor Ed Carlisle said:
“Litter and mess bring us all down – and that slip road’s been a horrible eyesore for too long. But together, we can make a difference. Whether you’re part of one of the local litterpick groups, or just take action wherever you are, thank you!”
Seeing the results of this work has given me a boost and hope for a ‘Better Beeston’. It is always easy to see the negatives and moan about the problems we see in our area (and we know there are lots) but we can choose to be part of the solution. Whether that’s doing some litterpicking yourself, challenging someone you see dropping litter or reporting fly tipping to the Council – collectively these small acts, make a difference and make the place better.
It feels like the issue of litter in our community is far from sorted. In an ideal world, no one should have to pick up someone else’s rubbish, but when we do so we are showing what a litter free community could look like and how that would change the area we live in. As these volunteers have shown, it doesn’t take much to make a noticeable difference.
If you are interested in getting involved in litterpicking in Beeston Hill, here are some upcoming events:
There are 2 monthly Better Beeston litter picks meeting at:
Lady Pit Lane on the second Sunday of the month at 1pm
Maud Avenue on the third Sunday of every month at 3pm
For more information visit www.facebook.com/betterbeeston
The Hamara Centre is a litter picking hub – if you want to borrow litter picking equipment to do your own litter pick, you can ask at Hamara during their opening hours. Hamara is hosting a litter picking day on Friday 27 March, meeting at the centre at 10am.
This post was written by Sarah Hutchinson
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