Help spruce up your own town centres
People sick of tripping over rubbish when they go shopping have the chance to do something about it.
The Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust is staging three town centre clean-ups in South Auckland from November 5 to December 3 and it’s calling on locals to get involved.
Trust relationship manager Barbara Carney says the initiative is intended to ‘‘create civic pride’’ and get communities working together.
‘‘Great things happen when they do that. It’s about inspiring and educating people to care for their environment and suburb.’’
Otara Business Association centre manager Rana Judge hopes people will turn out and help make the project a success.
‘‘We want them to come and help us because these are their towns. We encourage the public to keep their centres clean.
‘‘New Zealand is a beautiful country. We need people’s help ... and we want this community to be nice and tidy.’’
Hunters Corner Business Association chairman Narinder Kumar Singla says seven or eight months ago the iconic shopping precinct in Papatoetoe wasn’t looking that flash.
‘‘It was so bad,’’ he says. ‘‘We cleaned all the car parks and swept up the rubbish that people drop.
‘‘Education is most important. Many hands make light work.’’
Carney says the trust is providing all the equipment people will use on the day.
They just need to pre-register and should wear closed-in shoes as there will be plenty of weeding, picking up rubbish, painting and sweeping.
‘‘We’re hoping to get about 100 people to each town centre cleanup,’’ Carney says.
‘‘They can be groups, businesses residents.
‘‘We want people to get involved and have fun. They’ll community and local find it rewarding being part of something we’re doing together.’’
The first two clean-ups are from 8.30am to 1pm at Hunters Corner on November 5 and Old Papatoetoe town centre on November 19.
The third is at Otara town centre from 1.30pm to 4pm on December 3. There will be a free barbecue and drinks for volunteers.
Phone 269 4080 or email barbara.carney@mbct.org.nz to register.