Middlewich Clean Team Become Media Stars Again

Photo by kind permission of the Middlewich Guardian. 

The Middlewich Clean Team is to play a starring role in a new ITV1 documentary to be televised in the spring. On Saturday, 10th November, 35 members of the Team turned out on a litter pick and were filmed by Media Company Wall to Wall for a new primetime programme provisionally called “Get Up and Give”

Programme researcher Rachel Ozers said, ‘The idea is to follow certain individuals and showcase interesting projects, big fundraisers, local community projects and meaningful charitable work, in the hope of encouraging more people to do the same sort of thing wherever they are in the UK. The focus is inspirational individuals – whether they are volunteers, fundraisers, or even staff members – who dedicate their lives to making other people’s better. We were looking at individuals and organisations across the country who throw their hearts and souls into going the extra mile to help people in their communities and Janet Chisholm and the Middlewich Clean Team were exactly the sort of example we were looking for.’

Filming our Chairperson, Janet Chisholm, at home and around town kept her busy all day. In the afternoon we were filmed on a regular litter pick and then some of the Committee were interviewed individually. The litter pick resulted in 16 full bags of litter and the town was left sparkling for the Remembrance Day Parade and Service which took place the following day.

This follows on from this year‘s features in the Daily Mail, Granada Reports and on local radio. The Home Office and the Cabinet Office consider our group to be a National role model for a community organisation. As a consequence we spend quite a lot of time advising other communities up and down the Country on how to set up a clean team

A press release for this event is available here.

Middlewich Organisations Brighten up the Town with Daffodils

Photos: Maxine Bland & Fiona Bruce.

The Middlewich Clean Team’s annual community bulb planting event took place on Sunday, 21st October. We were joined by Fiona Bruce MP, representatives of Middlewich Cricket Club, the 2nd Cledford Brownies and other residents and in less than an hour had planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs. The planting went like clock work and everyone was in good spirits. The whole event was lovely and Middlewich Cricket Club kindly hosted refreshments afterwards.

Janet Chisholm, the Chairperson of the Clean Team said “It was wonderful to see so many people willing to help to brighten up our town and particular thanks go to the Cricket Club and the Brownies for their valuable help and to Tulloch Private Hire, Winsford and Middlewich Rotary Club and Middlewich and District Round Table for sponsoring the event”.

A press release for this event is available here.

Sea Cadets Help to Keep Middlewich Ship Shape

Photo: Hilary Jones.

Last February we were pleased to have the Sea Cadets involved in one of our litter picks and now we have had the pleasure of a return visit to help keep Middlewich ship shape.

This all came about because Darren Green, the Waterway Manager for Central Shires Canal & River Trust, had been keeping an eye on our events and spotted the litter pick scheduled for Saturday 13th October. Darren contacted the Sea Cadets Commanding Officer for approval and from that point it was just a case of exchanging a few emails with all parties concerned. Sea Cadets from Middlewich and Winsford together with their supervisors assembled with other volunteers at the Kings Lock car park where members of the Middlewich Clean Team were on hand to provide the tabards and litter pickers. Once the initial showers had cleared up it was a lovely sunny day made all the better by the removal of the unsightly litter.

Annual Community Flower Planting

Photo:Maxine Wrench.

On the Tuesday 29th May 2012, Brownies, Cubs and other volunteers met up at St. Michaels Church for the Middlewich Clean Team Annual Community Planting. 

We usually plant bizzy lizzies but last year’s plants succumbed to disease so this year begonias and lobelia have been used instead. As this is the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year and the public holidays to celebrate it were only a few days away it was not hard to choose the colours for the plants – red, white and blue of course. Everyone worked hard and the job was soon finished resulting in a fine floral display. Well done and thanks to all involved.

Janet Nominated For Cheshire Woman Of The Year Award

Our Founder & Chairperson, Janet Chisholm, was secretly nominated for the Cheshire Woman Of The Year Award 2012 and the awards the ceremony recently took place in the Long Room at Eaton Hall. Janet set up the Middlewich Clean Team in 2003 and the accolade recognises her service to the community.

The occasion has been reported in the Middlewich Guardian and the article appears below
(alternatively click here to read the article full size):

Middlewich Clean Team in the Daily Mail and Granada Reports

Photographs courtesy of the Daily Mail.

We had visits from the Daily Mail on Thursday 3rd May to find out about our work and on Saturday 5th May to join us on a litter pick. The resulting feature 'The town that went to war on litter' appeared in the Daily Mail the following week. Granada Reports followed on with a visit too and that was broadcast on Wednesday 9th May.

Both articles portrayed the work of the Middlewich Clean Team in respect of dealing with litter and we are pleased and excited to have been featured by them. You can learn about the other things we do by browsing through this website. 

The Daily Mail article appeared in the Mail Online and appears below (alternatively click here to read the article full size):

Highlighting Dog Fouling

Centre photo courtesy of the Middlewich Guardian.

On 30th March 2012 Middlewich Clean Team joined forces with Streetscape, British Waterways & the Community Dog Wardens to leave a fluorescent purple message for irresponsible dog owners. The spray paint is chalk based and will eventually wash away but in the mean time will serve to remind pet owners of the awful mess they leave behind. The campaign at The Moorings found eight cases of dog dirt alongside the childrens play area and all where duly highlighted with the message "Clean It Up". 

The campaign was reported in the Middlewich Guardian Newspaper and you can read the online version of it here:

Last Autumn's Bulbs Bloom

Last autumn we planted daffodil and crocus bulbs on Holmes Chapel Road near to the Salt Cellar pub. We planted two rows of bulbs and now they are in full bloom in the spring sunshine.

Sea Cadet Corps Work With Middlewich Clean Team

The Middlewich Clean Team’s numbers at their litter pick on Saturday 18th February were boosted when they were joined by a team of Sea Cadets and their Leaders from TS Portland which is based in Whitegate. A total of 23 people braved the cold weather and litter picked all of the canals in the town, nearby roads and open spaces filling 25 sacks of rubbish. Clean Team Vice-Chairman, Stephen Dent said “I was approached by the Chair of the Sea Cadets who asked if the Cadets could join our litter pick as they were encouraged to support and participate in local community events as part of their training and development. Coupled with a really good turnout from our own members, the valuable help from the cadets meant that we were able to split into several groups to cover a large area of the town.” Sea Cadets Chair, Darren Green said “‘The Sea Cadets rely on the goodwill of the local community for support and fundraising and so it is always good to help the community wherever we can”.

Nursery Visits 2012

Clean Team volunteers Hilary Jones and Carol Eccles at Rainbow Day Nursery in Brooks Lane,
with Emily Smith, three, Marco Azakli, four, Millie Lane, four and Matthew Hitchen, four.
Photo: Middlewich Guardian

Middlewich Clean Team has been helping to nurture the responsible citizens of tomorrow. Carol Eccles and Hilary Jones visited the town's nurseries to speak to youngsters about having pride in where they live and keeping the streets litter-free.

Hilary said, "We talk to the children about the importance of putting litter in the bin and the role of Middlewich Clean Team. We let them have a go with our junior crocodile litter pickers placing litter into our bin. Then we sing our song, which they all love to do, before they are awarded a MCT sticker. The idea is to sow the seed that litter does actually belong in the bin and to encourage using it." 

Article reproduced by kind permission of the Middlewich Guardian