THE Westmorland Gazette this week launches a campaign aimed at keeping our streets free of rubbish and litter.

The Big Clean campaign, run in collaboration with our sister paper The Mail, aims to encourage our local communities to take pride in the areas where they live.

Sponsored by Kimberly Clark and Spirit Energy, it calls upon schools, community groups, businesses, residents associations and individuals to do what they can to clear up any litter-strewn patches of land in the south Cumbria, Eden and north Lancashire areas.

It might be a park or green that is beginning to look a little scruffy. It might just be checking pavements and hedgerows and picking up items that have been carelessly discarded.

Andrew Thomas, Editor of The Westmorland Gazette, said: “It is really important everyone takes pride in the community in which they live, work and play. This campaign will hopefully help to improve not only any grot spot areas but also the beaches, parks, playgrounds and the streets in which we live.”

Helping to launch the new campaign were pupils at a Furness school.

Youngsters from George Romney Junior School in Dalton donned high vis jackets and carried litter pickers as they carried out the first Big Clean of 2019, collecting litter in the school grounds.

They also showed they really care about the environment by warning people about climate change. The pupils carried placards as they ventured into the streets to talk to the community about protecting the environment.

It came on the same day as thousands of other schools across the world protested as part of Climate Action Day.

Headteacher David Reddy said: “We first discussed doing something for this day with our school council.

“The pupils wanted to go on strike from lessons like a lot of others have but instead we decided to go out and speak to people in Dalton. They were telling people about their climate change concerns and everyone they spoke to seemed to respond really well to them.

“It was great to see the children take part in something that was really driven by them and people they spoke to could see how much they were in interested in the subject themselves.”

To get involved and for help to organise your own litter pick email celia.powell@newsquest.co.uk or call 01539 790238.