Community clean-ups

Clean-ups suspended

Our usual programme of organising local clean-ups has been suspended during the coronavirus restrictions, but we hope to be back in action soon.

Meanwhile, we have been glad to see some residents taking advantage of the reduced traffic and reduced numbers of parked cars (while it lasted) to do a bit of a tidy-up on their patch. Every bit of litter picked up makes a difference.

Is this something you could do on the pavements near your home? Yes, YOU!

Neighbourhood improvement volunteers (NIVs)

If you would like to register as a volunteer, or NIV, please fill in the form below and return it to the address on the form (not us!):

• Neighbourhood improvement volunteer form

For more information, download this guide to getting started as an Environmental Task Force NIV.

Normal service

At regular intervals, the community council arranges clean-ups in various parts of North Kelvin so that local residents can contribute to the tidiness of the area, and to promote a spirit of neighbourly cooperation. Clearing up autumn leaves also makes pavements safer for everyone.

Mainly our clean-ups are focused on the various service lanes within the area, all of which are unadopted and are the responsibility of the owners of the properties in the blocks which the lanes serve. These lanes are, in many cases, overgrown with self-seeded vegetation, which, combined with deteriorating surfaces can lead to hazards for Council Cleansing teams and their vehicles. Also, sadly, lanes are often subjected to flytipping.

By tidying the lanes we are fulfilling our responsibilities as residents. By working as a group we are assisting fellow residents in their duties, and, by visiting all lanes over a period, we enhance the entire area and help create a community which undertakes things in common.

Find out more about North Kelvin lanes on our back lanes page.

Where and when

We encourage residents to let us know if there is a particular lane or street that needs cleaning up. We usually choose either a Saturday or Sunday morning a few weeks in advance.

The dates, times and venues of the clean-ups are published on the website, on the community noticeboard on Belmont St, on our Facebook page, Twitter and on the Next Door North Kelvin electronic bulletin board.

Look out for our banner, too!

On the day

We meet up at the appointed time and place (usually 10.30 on a weekend morning). We hope to have a good turnout of residents, young and not so young, as you can see from the pictures below: many hands make light work and the more the merrier too! Members of the community council always join in, as do our city councillors if they can.

One of the community council team will outline what work we are going to do and how to do it safely. We provide litter-pickers, binbags and various equipment (barrows, brushes, garden tools) but residents are free to bring their own – sturdy gloves especially.

We usually spend a couple of hours on the clean-up, but no one is obliged to stay for the full time. Whatever help you can offer is very welcome.

Refreshments are provided! Halfway through the clean-up we stop for a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit or 3. This is a nice opportunity to have a chat with your neighbours – maybe people you know by sight but haven’t spoken to before.

At the end of the clean-up we arrange for the Cleansing Dept to remove the bags of rubbish we have stacked up.

We encourage as many people as possible to get involved on the day and hope that participants will continue to donate some time to looking after their patch.

Past clean-ups

Here are some photos of our previous efforts – click to see the bigger picture. Thanks to everyone who has helped out!