Lancashire children team up with Community Business Network for local litter pick
School children in Penwortham joined forces with local charities and businesses for the town’s third annual community clean up event.
Youngsters from St Teresa’s Primary School in Penwortham came together with representatives from the town’s Community Business Network (CBN) and local charities Galloways and St Catherine’s Hospice to do a litter pick last week.
The event was organised by CBN founders Jemma Lloyd of Vincents Solicitors and estate agent Michael Bailey, with litter picking equipment and high vis vests supplied by St Catherine’s Hospice.
Together the team tidied the gutters and hedgerows from Galloways HQ in Howick Park Avenue, along Liverpool Road and around the Birch Avenue park as part of the CBN’s commitment to helping the community.
Funeral director Emma Evans, a long-time member of the CBN, believes it is a great way for businesses to support the community and urged others to get involved in the future.
She said: “It was wonderful spending the morning with children from St Teresa’s, they were absolutely fantastic and really enjoyed collecting the litter and helping to tidy up their town.
“We were very pleased the weather was nice to us this year - last year we got absolutely soaked - and everyone agreed it’s a brilliant thing for us to do and bring people together to do something lovely for our own community. It would be great to see this get bigger every year and for more businesses and schools to get involved.”
Kelly Love from Galloways Society from the Blind also enjoyed the day. She said: “The children were amazing, they found every little bit and were so proud to see the bags filling up. We love being members of the CBN and hosting the meetings at our HQ. Events like this show just how much community sprit there is in Penwortham and the positive response we had from passers-by shows how much it means to local people.”
Organiser Jemma Lloyd, head of Vincents branch in Liverpool Road, is already looking ahead to the group’s next event in September where the CBN and local school children will help with the planting programme at Penwortham Cemetery.
She said: “When we founded the business network one of our main aims was to create better connections between businesses and the wider community, to improve our environment and help people to ‘give back’ in a meaningful way.
"These events allow members to have a genuine impact, but they’re also a wonderful opportunity to have some fun and hopefully inspire local children to want to take care of their town in the future.”
Any schools, community groups or businesses which want to get involved with voluntary activities with the CBN should contact Jemma Lloyd or Michael Bailey.
The CBN meets on the first Thursday of every month from 9am at Galloways Society for the Blind HQ in Howick Park Avenue. For information about how to get involved contact [email protected] or [email protected]