MORE than 50 residents and volunteers took part in a major spring clean last week – and added a splash of colour to Manchester’s Brunswick neighbourhood.
Student volunteers from The University of Manchester worked with elderly residents to brighten up the communal gardens at the Elizabeth Yarwood Court sheltered housing scheme – as part of the week-long event organized by S4B.
Throughout the week, residents were able to dispose of bulky unwanted items, including bedroom furniture, garden waste, carpets- filling three skips as part of the spring clean.
S4B Community Regeneration Manager Ross Hemmings, who helped to organise the clean-up, said: “We’re very proud of the neighbourhood and we have really enjoyed working with the community to help make sure it looks great.
“We appreciate that there are lots of changes happening in Brunswick at the moment, so we wanted to bring the residents together with their neighbours this week to help to make a difference.
“This is the first time we have held a clean-up event like this one in Brunswick and we’ll be looking to arrange a similar event again later in the year.”
Donna Shaw, Scheme Warden at Elizabeth Yarwood Court, added, “We really appreciate the hard work carried out by staff and volunteers – we can’t wait to see all of the flowers in full bloom!”
S4B resident Antony Farrell, 43, who also took part in the spring clean, said; “This is just what the area needs, the spring clean has really helped to brighten up the area.
“I think events like this are a great idea – it just shows how something as simple as planting flowers or picking up litter can make a huge difference.”
S4B – the consortium set up to drive the £100m regeneration plans in Brunswick – includes wider plans to build more than 500 new family homes that consists of 200 council homes and more than 300 homes for sale.
The community will also welcome a new retail area with local shops and amenities, along with a new neighbourhood office and 60-bed sheltered accommodation and day-care centre.
S4B also carries out regular work to prevent and tackle fly-tipping, graffiti and litter across the neighbourhood. Tenants who would like advice about disposing of bulky household items can call S4B on 0300 555 0128.