Traders, volunteers and councillors collected dozens of bags of rubbish at a community litter pick and tidying event at Brighton Open Market.
The recent Big Clean Up event saw 35 people give up their time to help tidy the market, nearby parts of London Road and The Level.
Equipment was provided by our Tidy Up Team and several councillors were among those who rolled up their sleeves and donned high-viz jackets to lend a hand.
They were joined by traders from businesses in the Open Market and further along London Road, as well as staff from Cityclean, our waste services department.
Councillor Ty Goddard, who as well as being a Cabinet advisor for economic growth is also a member of the Open Market’s board, was delighted with how the event went. He said: “It was brilliant to see so many people come along to help.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have somewhere like the Open Market in our city centre; it is a fantastic place full of some amazing shops and cafes and has a real sense of community.
“I am always telling people to head down and check it out, so seeing councillors, residents and traders give up their spare time to come together and give the Open Market some deserved love and attention was great.”
As well as collecting litter, volunteers also removed graffiti and tagging from nearby walls and cleared weeds from pavements.
Their efforts were clearly appreciated by nearby traders – including one which delivered free pizzas to the volunteers once they had finished their hard work.
Councillor Goddard said the hope was future Big Clean Up events would prove equally popular and asked people to suggest areas to focus on. He said: “One of our commitments as a council is to improve the look and feel of our city, and judging by the enthusiastic response we’ve received from people looking to get involved, clean up events go down really well.
“The event at Brighton Open Market was a perfect example of the positive impact the Big Clean Up is having and I’d like to thank everyone who came along to help out.
“Anyone who would like to organise or suggest a similar event elsewhere in the city should get in touch.”
For more information on how to organise a Big Clean Up event and borrow equipment, email our Tidy Up team at communitycleanup@brighton-hove.gov.uk.