Schools will be springing into action to help make Manchester a cleaner and greener city as they join in the annual Great British Spring Clean campaign this month.
Manchester’s Spring Clean campaign, which supports the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy’s national event, will see many of the 120 schools registered with the Eco-School programme, take part this year.
Stanley Grove Primary School in Longsight, at the start of its Eco- Schools journey, will launch Manchester's Great British Spring Clean on Friday, 17th of March where school children will join community volunteers to litter pick their local area.
The campaign, which runs from 17 March – 2 April 2023, is calling on schools, residents, volunteers, and businesses to get involved and pledge to clean up unsightly litter to help keep Manchester a clean and green city for everyone’s benefit.
This year's Spring clean theme is Pride in your Place - something Manchester lives and breathes in our communities with hundreds of litter picking groups already in existence across the city as well as the many businesses that also work with the council as part of their corporate social responsibility commitments.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods said:
“When the weather gets milder, and the days get longer, we all want to get outside more and there is no better way to enjoy the outdoors than to get involved in a litter pick in your local neighbourhood or even start your own if there isn’t one already set up. We know that our communities have pride in their city, and when residents pledge to litter pick in their local area, it really does make a difference to our streets, parks, and wildlife. It is also a wonderful way for neighbours to get together, meet new people and socialise as well as helping to boost our physical and mental health and wellbeing.”
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said:
" We are delighted that our friends at Keep Manchester Tidy have chosen a school as the location for their Great British Spring Clean launch. Educating the next generation is crucial if we are to win the war on litter. We believe our children and young people are the key to making littering a thing of the past.
"We applaud the pupils of Stanley Grove Primary Academy, which is embarking on its Eco Schools journey with us, for showing pride in their school by cleaning up the area, and hope they enjoy seeing the amazing results of their eco actions."
Manchester has 128 schools that are currently considered to be ‘Eco-schools’, schools that empower young people to be proud of where they come from, help them learn about global issues and inspire them to make environmentally friendly choices.
26 of these schools have been awarded green flag awards since last October, an awards scheme to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the ecological achievements of young people at schools and in their local areas.
Amy Footman, Headteacher from Stanley Grove Primary School said;
“The pupils of Stanley Grove Primary Academy care deeply about both their local and the global environment and hosting the launch of the Great British Spring Clean is a wonderful opportunity for our community to share our passion. We, and all at Bright Futures Educational Trust, are developing new ways for our pupils to learn about and take action on issues affecting the environment, such as litter and waste, and the support we have received from Keep Britain Tidy has been fantastic.”
Last year, Keep Manchester Tidy loaned out 787 litter picks for litter picking events, resulting in the collection of more than 4,700 bags following 560 requests to pick up bags after community events.
The Great British Spring Clean gives everyone the opportunity to get involved in volunteering in their local area- pledge to litter pick at keepbritaintidy.org
To set up your own litter pick visit the Council website to find out how to borrow litter picking equipment, guidance on arranging a litter pick and how to get any rubbish collected at www.manchester.gov.uk/tidymcr
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