Ready, set, get cleaning for the Queen!

The scheme initiated by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign is urging communities to do their bit to restore civic pride, tidy up their area and commemorate the Queen’s 90th birthday.

If you’re planning on attending any of the activities in Sleaford and you haven’t already then you’ll need to register online here so that the local co-ordinators, Sleaford Town Team, know how many people to expect and have sufficient tools and protective equipment available.

You’ll need to dress up warm as the weather is expected to be chilly and be prepared for a wintry shower. Ensure that you wear gardening (or similar) gloves if you plan to be able to use your hands to deal with litter.

On Friday at 12noon, there will be a picnic launch, hosted by the Barge and Bottle pub in Carre Street. They have kindly donated their picnic tables for use.

Attendees will hear from Town Team coordinator for this event, Andrew Rayner, about the impact of litter in the UK today and information for volunteers over the weekend. You’ll need to bring your own pack lunch and of course be expected to clean up afterwards – Clean for The Queen sacks will be provided.

Under 18’s must be accompanied by at least one adult who is responsible for their supervision.

Then, from 1-3pm, there will be a schools competition.

Did you know that around 120 tonnes of smoking related litter is dumped every day in the UK?

On Friday afternoon local school children will be setting out on their challenge to collect as many cigarette ends as possible, having been fully briefed on a range of litter hazards especially those relating to cigarettes, kitted out and supervised throughout by school helpers and the Town Team to ensure that they have an educational and enjoyable afternoon.

A Town Team spokesman said: “We expect that by being involved in this litter pick the children will have a better awareness of smoking related litter and the hazards it presents.

“Each child will be given a little treat for their efforts and the team that collects the most weight of litter will get a bonus prize. Details of the winners will be published on our Facebook page.”

○ On the same day, from 10am-12noon, staff and councillors of Sleaford Town Council will be doing a Clean for the Queen at Castlefield.

○ Although nothing official has been arranged, Heckington Parish Council has also suggestede residents may want to get involved in helping to keep the area looking tidy by volunteering to clean their own road and street signs which may be getting a bit grubby, something that is not in the village caretaker’s usual remit.

○ On Saturday, starting at 10am, Leasingham WI members and volunteers will be meeting at the village hall to do their own Clean for the Queen litter pick in the village.

At the same time, from 10am to 12noon there will be a traditional litter pick around Sleaford led by the Town Team involving up to 25 people.

The Town Team spokesman said: “Following our ‘Visit Sleaford’ Heritage Trail route around Sleaford Town Centre, starting at 10am at the Handley Monument on Southgate in the centre of Sleaford, we will end up at the market square in front of St Deny’s Church for midday where those involved can take advantage of Sleaford farmers market in time for lunch.”

You will need to be able to cover over one mile walking during the two hour timescale including some narrow paths, so this event is recommended for the fit and active.

Town team volunteers will brief and supervise all who come along and equipment will be provided for picking up litter and branded “Clean for The Queen” sacks for storing it.

You will need to register if you plan to attend to make sure enough equipment is available, sign up here.

Under 18’s must be accompanied by at least one adult who is responsible for their supervision.

Later, from 1-2pm on Saturday afternoon, a small group of up to 10 volunteers will be helping to remove chewing gum from footpaths in the town in a chewing gum challenge. Meeting in White Hart Mews at the rear of Iceland they will be challenged with clearing unsightly chewing gum left stuck to the ground. This activity will take a maximum of one hour and is recommended for those with no history of back problems.

A full briefing will be provided to all participants and equipment will be provided including removal tools.

Register by signing up here.

This activity is only suitable for over 18s and will identify areas that need addressing as they work their way around the centre of Sleaford.

From 2-3pm a group of up to 25 volunteers will be needed to litter pick starting from the play area on Lincoln Road along to Galley Hill. This is an area that many residents have highlighted to the Town Team in the run up to the event that needs attention.

A full briefing will be provided to all participants and equipment will be provided including removal tools.

We need you to register if you plan to attend - sign up here.

Under 18’s must be accompanied by at least one adult who is responsible for their supervision.

There will be a cigarette end collecting session for groups, friends and families on Sunday to tackle the menace. Up to 10 teams of between 4 and 10 representatives, ideally families or from local volunteer groups are invited to join the team at 10am.

The starting location will be alongside the Barge and Bottle pub off Carre Street. Each team will be given a collecting bag and will cover a designated area collecting as many cigarette ends as possible in the one hour time slot. All participants will be fully briefed before starting on litter safety with educational materials provided for school children.

On completion the bag will be collected, checked, sealed and labelled by a member of the Town Team or designated volunteer who will then ensure that the bag is weighed to see which team is the winner.

Equipment will be provided including litter pickers, collection bags and gloves. Any under 18s must have at least one supervising adult with them.

The team that collects the most weight of cigarette ends will win a prize following the event.

Each team must register here.

The Town Team spokesman went on: “For our last activity starting at 1pm on Sunday we’re going to focus on general litter. Up to 25 people will follow a predefined route around the town starting from the Handley Monument on Southgate. Volunteers will be given collecting bags and long-handled litter pickers and will collect a variety of litter items including food packaging, paper and plastic waste. All participants will be fully briefed before starting on litter safety. Volunteers are encouraged to post pictures of litter they have found to enter into our spot prize competitions for largest or most unusual item collected.

“Equipment will be provided including litter pickers and collection bags. Volunteers should ensure that they bring gardening or other protective gloves. Any under 18 must have a supervising adult with them.”

For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/SleafordTownTeam