Wakey, Wakey, Rise and Shine!

The Wakefield City Centre Management Board will be carrying out a week-long series of community focused events that will see local stakeholders take part in a city centre clean-up campaign aimed at tackling issues including littering, graffiti, fly-tipping, and more.    
   
Members of the Council will also be involved, along with organisations including Street Scene, the Anti-Social Behaviour Team, West Yorkshire Police, The Ridings and Trinity shopping centres, Woodhead Investments, and more.  
   
To enable the public to get involved, two days of organised litter-picking has been arranged and volunteers will be able to join the team and make a real difference in the city.   
    
The big city shine-up gets underway on Monday 10 June, and volunteer days have been confirmed for Thursday 13 June and Friday 14 June.  Volunteers will be issued with a clean-up kit to ensure they stay clean and safe while they take on fun challenges across the city.   
   

  
The City and Towns Team in the Council is acting as lead for the initiative with a number of stakeholders participating including West Yorkshire Police, Wakefield BID, The Ridings and others involved.  
   
The volunteer days include a programme of activities aimed at encouraging residents to come along, while helping to clean up the city centre.
   
There will be corporate litter picking events, where teams can enjoy a bit of friendly competition and go head-to-head with other organisations to win a trophy.    
    
Streets will be jet-washed and discarded gum will be removed, empty units will have windows cleaned and a programme of weeding will be organised to spruce up vacant sites. Flyers, posters and advertising that have been put up illegally will be removed.   
   
There will be a pledge tree in The Ridings where residents can leave a ‘Waste pledge’ on the positive steps they will take to reduce waste.   
    
There will be organised litter picks on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 June between 10am and 2pm. Anyone interested can find out more at wakefieldcouncil.com/volunteer 
Free parking and refreshments for volunteers is being provided courtesy of the Ridings Shopping Centre.   
    
Clean-ups, including removing graffiti, dealing with incidents of fly-tipping, and clearing litter, cost the Council millions of pounds every year.  
  
The aim is to help reignite pride in the city centre as a place for residents and businesses to enjoy.  
   
Litter and waste are mostly made by people and these events are a reminder that everyone can do their bit, and contribute to making a brighter, more welcoming city.   
  
It is hoped that these activities will kickstart an ongoing opportunity for residents or teams to continue what has been started. Next week’s activities are just a pilot and it is hoped there will be keen interest and support to make this a regular activity for the City. 
  
  
Whether you want to join in and participate as an individual, as part of a group or by registering your school, college, or place of work you can find more information and register at:  wakefieldcouncil.com/volunteer 
    
The project coincides with 70 years of Keep Britain Tidy, a campaign that began with a conference of 26 organisations in 1955. The conference was initiated by the British Women’s Institute after a resolution was passed at its1954 AGM to start a national anti-litter campaign.