IMPROVEMENT works and community projects were celebrated as the Redcar & Cleveland ‘Love it’ campaign celebrated its first birthday.
The campaign, which encourages residents to do one small thing to make a big difference to their local environment, supports community groups in improving their local area and the spotlight was shone on some of the best projects over the last year.
One of those projects was a reclamation scheme by Grangetown resident Sigi Moore. Sigi, along with her husband Graham, set about clearing a piece of overgrown land on the corner of Tennyson Avenue and Griffiths Road and turned it into a floral haven enjoyed by everyone in the area.
Also praised were residents of Charlotte Street and Charles Street in Coatham who embraced the alley gating and alley greening schemes where ornate metal gates installed at entrances to alleyways in order to cut down fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.
The residents have worked hard to transform the alleys into a community space where kids can go out and play and the grown-ups can sit down and chat with their neighbours. Featuring climbing plants and hand-made planters, the alleys now experience barely any fly-tipping problems.
As well as celebrating projects from ‘Love it’s’ first year, there was a look to the future and how the community foundation set up by Sirius Minerals – who are building a potash mine which will see elements of the mine run through Redcar and Cleveland – can support voluntary and community groups across the area.
The foundation will offer grants of up to £5,000 to projects in the Redcar and Cleveland area from 2018 in order to support them to develop further.
Cllr Alec Brown, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The ‘Love it’ campaign has already had a big impact on the environment across Redcar and Cleveland with community groups supported by the council to complete schemes across the borough. They’ve made a really big difference to the area and I’m pleased to see more and more people embracing the campaign and the benefits it can bring.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for ‘Love it’ and how the grants available from Sirius Minerals can help community groups launch even bigger initiatives in their communities.”
To find out more about the ‘Love it’ campaign, and how you can make your pledge to do one small thing to make a big difference in your area, go to www.redcar-clevelandloveit.co.uk