Super Sunday clean-up a huge success

More than 45 volunteers turned up in answer to a call-out from the Ludlow Regeneration Group on Sunday with their brushes, brooms, mops and buckets, plus an assortment of garden tools and watering cans to give the town centre a wash and brush-up.

The numbers of the clean-up team were increased with members of Pride of Place litter-pickers and the Guerrilla Gardeners. The litter-pickers joined the clean-up teams as they worked their way through the town centre, while the Guerrilla Gardeners concentrated their efforts on Castle Gardens.

Carmel Wilson and Tracey Richardson, who jointly lead the Regeneration Group, were delighted at the turn out.

“It was fantastic to see so many people turn up on Sunday morning, more than we had expected,” Carmel said, “and all of them clearly enthusiastic to get their sleeves rolled up and tackle the worst areas of the town centre and the long term empty shops.”

Tracey added: “This was an amazing example of community involvement and showed how much people care about their town. When one area was spick and span, they just kept on giving, moving on to other areas.”

While the two teams concentrated on sprucing up Wildwood and the old Costa Coffee building, the third team worked their magic at 20 Corve Street as, thanks to Debbie Anderson of McCartneys, they had access to the interior of the building, so that could be cleaned both inside and out. The neighbouring premises weren’t ignored, though, and all of the streets in the town centre received some TLC.

When the clean-up team finally agreed they had done all they could in the time, the difference to town centre was unmissable with shop frontages and windows gleaming and the pavements swept and weeded. As a final flourish, artwork from Gather.at now adorns one window of 20 Corve Street and later this week Velvet Fern will be dressing the same windows so that visitors can see the potential of the venue instead of blank windows.

Before heading off on the venture, volunteers gathered at Bill’s Kitchen for a complementary cup of coffee – and they gathered again upstairs at Ludlow Brewery for sandwiches provided by Vaughan’s at the end of the session to celebrate.

Ludlow Regeneration Focus Group is part of the umbrella organisation, Ludlow Residents Group, and was formed in response to concerns expressed earlier this year at the appearance of the town centre and its empty shops.

“The Super Sunday is just one initiative the Focus Group is developing,” Carmel explained, “Its success means this will now be repeated on a regular basis.

“We can’t thank everyone who joined us on Sunday enough. It was absolutely brilliant.”

Darren Childs, who set up and chairs the Residents Group – and who wielded brooms and brushes on Saturday – added his thanks. “To see so many residents out there of all ages helping to make shopfronts look clean and tidy was fantastic. It shows how much people care about their town and it’s great the Group gave them a focus to do something practical.”

For more information about the Regeneration Group email ludlowregenerationgroup@gmail.com or contact Di Lyle on 07786 620624.

By Di Lyle - Contributor