How do you get 56 people to gather at a village hall at 8 am on the last Saturday of summer?
You need people who care and want to make a real difference to their community, and in Brockenhurst today, it happened. Laden with bin bags, litter pickers, staple removers, tools, and lots of enthusiasm, the residents set off to clean up their village.
Local resident Karen had been seeking a way to get the village looking more cared for, and a chance meeting with Rosie, who had been litter-picking on her own, led to a plan to tackle this issue with the support of the newly formed Brockenhurst Community Action group. A Community Clean Up day was planned, and they were joined by Sarah and Gary to set a date and get everything organised. Saturday, 30th August, was chosen for the first ‘brush-up’.
With responsibilities for different aspects of the village and its environment shared by the parish council, New Forest District Council, Hampshire County Council and the National Park, it soon became apparent that this was no easy plan to organise and the team had to engage in lots of liaison, asking questions and ensuring the event was safe, had insurance cover for volunteers, risk assessments, a First Aider and a base to work from.
The village was divided into 12 zones, and residents reviewed what needed to be done in each patch. Tools and equipment were provided by NFDC and volunteers, while arrangements to dispose of the rubbish and plant waste sorted. For the first clean-up it was decided to focus on litter, removing old posters and their staples or cable ties, overgrown brambles, cleaning signs and railings, and identifying things that needed addressing by the local councils and were beyond the remit of volunteers. A lot of debate about ragwort was just one of many issues to clarify!
Your Brockenhurst delivered leaflets, put out posters and kept everyone updated. The Brockenhurst Village trust offered the use of the village hall for planning, refreshments, free parking and health and safety briefings on the day.
I spoke to a couple of those giving up their morning to get involved and their love for Brockenhurst was very clear: “I just want to help out! ”“We love our village…” and “such a great initiative” as well as hearing that just getting involved is fun and so much better than just moaning about rubbish or untidy bits of the village. Brockenhurst welcomes so many tourists and faces some unique challenges to keep it looking as idyllic as the brochures and adverts advertise.
To sum up, this event was a great success and just the beginning for the ‘Your Brockenhurst’ community action volunteers.
