Longhurst Group volunteers help clear more than 100 bags of rubbish

More than 100 bags of rubbish and dumped white goods have been removed from an alleyway blighted by litter in Grimsby.

Colleagues from Longhurst Group joined together with local councillors and residents to clear the items dumped at the back of some of our properties in the East Marsh area of the town.

The clearance was part of an ongoing initiative run by local councillors for East Marsh to tackle fly-tipping issues in specific areas.

We got involved through our Community Investment programme through which we provided a skip and willing volunteers, while councillors arranged for a small truck to transport more than 100 bags of rubbish to the local tip.

The joint working has now transformed the alleyway and made it a safer and more pleasant looking area.

Jennifer Coatsworth, Housing Manager, said: “We were pleased to be able to fund a skip for the work at Mansel Street as this had been highlighted as a problem area by our Housing Officer, Gemma Nelson.

“The area had been blighted by fly-tipping, with electrical items and rubbish dumped there, meaning local residents were unable to access the area or their back gates to their gardens.

“This event demonstrated the strength of partnership working. For me, it was a great opportunity to be out in the community, to speak to residents but also for team building with all colleagues present.

“It was hard work but we all enjoyed doing something different and being able to see a tangible difference at the end of the day.

“One resident told us that she was due to have a delivery soon and that she had been concerned that it would not fit through her front door.

“Having the alleyway cleared meant she had the option of it coming through the back of the property – she was extremely grateful.”

Sue Crask, the Group’s Regional Community Investment Lead for the East region said this partnership approach to improving local communities was an example of our Improving Lives 2025 strategy in action.

She said: “We are determined as an organisation to improve the lives of our customers and their communities.

“This alleyway had got in a bad way, so we thought it would be good to join forces with the local councillors and some residents to clean it up and improve the area.

“We had a great group of people there on the day and we all worked very well together. It was hard work, but we also had fun doing it.

“I am delighted with the results and am proud to see my colleagues delivering our Improving Lives 2025 strategy on the ground.

“I hope the clearance helps to make this a nicer area for our customers.”

Councillor Kay Rudd, for East Marsh, said she was delighted to see different organisations coming together to improve the local community.

She said: “It was absolutely wonderful and everyone that came along was brilliant.

“It would have been a tough job to do on our own and would have taken us about a day and a half on our own. However, because of the teamwork, it probably only took us three-quarters of a day.

“It not only saved us a lot of time, but there was a great camaraderie on show. Working together is so important to help improve communities and it gets the job done quicker.”

Councillor Steve Beasant also thanked Longhurst Group for supporting the work to clear the rubbish.