On a Friday during half term, Victoria and Kelly from our Resident Involvement team and myself (Suzette, Neighbourhood Coordinator) held a litter pick and bulb planting morning at Parkhill Court in Leicester.
I recently took over Parkhill Court as part of my patch, and I thought it would be a great idea to get out and give the little ones something to occupy themselves with during half term, as well as giving myself a chance to get to know and chat with them. It took the kids a little while to venture out, but when they did they made an absolute game of it, they loved using the litter pickers to grab every bit of rubbish in sight and fill lots of bin bags!
After an hour of litter picking, the children were given a snack and a drink before getting stuck in and planting some daffodil bulbs. It’s a few months before they’ll start to flower, but it was a quick, easy and a fun way to add some life and colour to the neighbourhood. Once those pops of yellow bloom we’ll be able to safely say that spring has sprung!
While the morning was mostly fun, it also gave us a chance to educate the children about the importance of recycling, putting their own rubbish into the bins when playing out. The children really enjoyed the event, and they asked when we could do it again, I’d call that a small but meaningful success through starting the love for their neighbourhood at a young age.
Hopefully, the morning helped to plant the seed (excuse the pun) for being proud of their environment and where they live, grow up and the importance of recycling and not dropping litter.
