Youngsters help clean up Stokes Valley
Picking up rubbish and painting over graffiti is not everyone’s idea of holiday fun but four Stokes Valley youngsters have worked hard doing just that.
The suburb has had some negative publicity, with young people complaining there is nothing to do and residents have expressed concern about the level of youth crime.
Hutt City Council graffiti officer Mel Gardner put together a team to show that young people can make a positive contribution.
The aim was to tidy up the suburb and give the youngsters something meaningful to do.
‘‘We picked up 13 bags of rubbish just in George St alone.
You would not believe how much rubbish there was.’’
The group also painted over graffiti and created a mural.
Gardner has been impressed by the effort put in.
‘‘They have been amazing, they have far exceeded my expectations.
They have been wide eyed and bushy tailed when they come to work in the morning.’’
The community response to seeing the youngsters has been very positive.
When Gardner put the wrong type of petrol in their generator, she said people were quick to help.
Craig Nelson from RH Automotive got it up and running for her in no time.
‘‘He was a godsend.’’
Marcus Keepa enjoyed doing something positive and said it was better than ‘‘chilling out’’ at home.
‘‘I felt like helping to make the community a bit cleaner.’’
The Taita College student said he had never volunteered for anything similar before.
Billie Jessup, who goes to Upper Hutt College, also enjoyed helping out.
‘‘It has given me something to do, instead of lazing around at home.’’