Radcliffe: Litter picking community event encourages people to dig in

The dog-friendly community day was hosted by Radcliffe Litter Pickers and animal charity, Blue Cross on Milton Road Field in Radcliffe last month.

The event included free face painting, a raffle, chip checks and poo bags for dog owners and stalls from several organisations including Bury Council’s Live Well team, who promoted the benefits of outdoor exercise, Royal British Legion and more.

Radcliffe Litter Pickers are part of wider organisation, Growing Together Radcliffe, which is made up of several community-based organisations.

READ MORE: Restaurateur success after ‘eyesore’ telecoms pole moved

The community enjoyed a day of activities at the Milton Road field (Image: supplied)

Earlier this year, they received just under £40,000 of funding from the Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF) green spaces grant and are using a portion of it to transform the field into a valuable community hub.

Radcliffe litter pickers co-founder Gill Smith said: “The field has been neglected and was overgrown with weeds and dog muck.

“The project was difficult to get going as the weather earlier in the year was just so wet but in the last few weeks, we’ve got a lot of local interest.

“Eventually we want the meadow to be run by the local community and are open to suggestions and ideas for the space.  

READ MORE: Police concerned for welfare of missing Prestwich man

People of all ages enjoyed digging in at the event (Image: supplied)

“We’re working hard to bring it back to life and hope it will help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.”

Volunteers are planting native trees, ‘incredible edible’ planters for people to use and have planted donated flowers in recycled raised beds.

Project leader Ken Simpson said: “We want to create a green oasis in which local people can come together.

“We are planting wildflower meadow with insect hotels, bat and bird boxes to encourage wildlife. It will also be used as an outdoor classroom for all local schools.

“We will add an orchard of edible fruit species which will be donated to schools and foodbanks.

READ MORE: Grandmother making 'slow progress' after taking ill on flight

Dog owners were offered free poo bags and dog chip checks on the day (Image: supplied)

“Other parts of the meadow will be donated to charitable groups with accessible planters for people to try their hand at growing their own food.”

The group picked up six new volunteers through the free community event. Zoe and Daniel Coop recently signed us as volunteers and ran the raffle on the day.

They said: “We were happy to give a few hours of our time for a project that’s going to transform the field for the better.

“It brings the community together and will help wildlife come back to the area.”

Celeste Leal, assistant manager at Blue Cross in Radcliffe, said: “It was great to see so many dogs and their people take part in our event.

“Every penny raised will go towards caring for the homeless pets we are looking after and events like this really raise awareness of our work and the pets that we help.”