Best Ever Community Planting

The Middlewich Clean Team held their annual flower planting at St. Michael’s and All Angels church yard in the evening of Tuesday 4th June . It is a real community event now well fixed into the annual Clean Team calendar.

Over sixty volunteers enjoyed the sunny evening to plant bedding plants in the borders and flower beds of the churchyard. Middlewich Clean Team volunteers had organised more than sunshine though and members of the Cubs, Brownies, Sea Cadets and the Boys Brigade were all kept busy planning and made an excellent job of it.

Middlewich Town Mayor and Clean Team Committee member Bernice Walmsley, attended the proceedings and commented that, “It was great to see the community coming together on a beautiful evening to help the town. The churchyard looks beautiful and all these young people from the community groups have played their parts.”

Middlewich Clean Team took the opportunity to present awards to Cubs who had designed posters for the Clean Team’s 10th anniversary. Ollie Egerton and Rebecca Davies of the Middlewich Tuesday Cubs and Oliver Jones and Antonia Gilmore from the Middlewich Thursday Cubs received awards which were presented by the Mayor, she said, “The posters designed by the Cubs were very well done – there’s some real talent in our youth groups in Middlewich and it was a privilege for me to be asked to present the awards”.

The plants were sponsored by Middlewich Town Council, Middlewich Southway Tesco and Cheshire East Council and Refreshments were served by the Mother’s Union.

Janet Chisholm, our Chairperson and founder of the Middlewich Clean Team, says a big thank you to all of the volunteers and organisations who turned out for the ‘brilliant’ evening and said that it was the best organised planting the team have had yet.

There are additional photographs from the community planting evening in our 2013 photo archive.

2nd Middlewich Scout Group Litter Pick

We had a well attended litter pick on Saturday 13th April 2013; six MCT members, twelve 2nd Middlewich Scout Group Thursday night cubs and two leaders. For safety reasons we picked Tesco car park and the park.

Twelve little boys with litter pickers is something to behold...one of them found a ten pound note!!! which they donated to the clean team, but which we decided to donate back to the cubs for treats.

Middlewich Clean Team Is 10 Years Old

Middlewich Clean Team was founded in 2013 by Janet Chisholm when she recruited a voluntary group of over 200 Middlewich residents who came together with a vision to develop and promote a culture of pride in the town and the community. Since those early days the Middlewich Clean Team has been prolific in encouraging and contributing to making Middlewich a more pleasant place to be.  As well as organising litter picks, we have encouraged and supported individuals to help us in whatever way they can, whether by picking litter in their immediate area, joining group litter picks or by highlighting problem areas. We have worked with many groups and organisations, including the Middlewich Town Council, the Cheshire East Council, British Waterways, Middlewich schools, Middlewich businesses, Middlewich Guardian and Middlewich residents.

We have helped Clean Teams to set up in other towns and our work has been featured in newspapers, radio and television programmes. We do not seek praise but we are proud of the commendations & awards we have received.

We have achieved a great deal but there is more that can be done and so our mission remains the same, “The vision of the Middlewich Clean Team is to develop and promote a culture of pride in the town and community by working towards a litter free town and a pleasant environment for all to live in.”

Our thanks go to all that have participated and supported us, in fact to everyone that has in some way contributed to supporting our motto, “Love your town, keep it tidy”.

Middlewich Clean Team Is 10 Years Old Photo Album

Youngters Learn With Crocodile Pickers

Clean Team members Hilary Jones and Carol Eccles visited several nurseries in Middlewich on 12th February 2013.

Encouraging young children to help to keep their town tidy and to have pride in their town is an important annual Middlewich Clean Team activity. The children sang a song about the importance of putting litter in a bin and then were given the chance to try litter picking for themselves using junior crocodile litter pickers. A Middlewich Clean Team sticker is awarded for their participation.  Hilary explained, "The idea is to sow the seed that litter does actually belong in the bin and to encourage young ones to do so, hopefully forever".

Photo Courtesy of Middlewich Guardian

Clean Team Finds A Mouthful

Photo Courtesy of Middlewich Guardian

Litterpicking with the Middlewich Clean Team is never boring! Apart from it being a pleasant walk with a purpose and a chance to catch up with friends, or make new ones, you just never know what you might find. On Saturday 9th February the team were in action in Holmes Chapel Road and Brooks Lane when they were astonished to find a set of false teeth during a town tidy-up. “It was so funny,” said Clean team founder Janet Chisholm, “We were holding them up with the litter pickers and falling about with laughter, We’ve found some things over the years like glasses and underwear but never false teeth. I can only assume someone’s been sick after a night out and they fell out.” In a strange twist, the Clean Team found the teeth just months after they found some denture glue. Janet added: “We take seriously keeping our streets tidy but it just shows there’s a humourous side to what we do.” They were in perfect condition but have not been claimed despite newspaper coverage! If the false teeth belong to you then please contact us.

A Blackberry phone was also found on this same litterpick. Vice chairman Stephen Dent said: “I have managed to return it to its very grateful owner who had travelled to Middlewich from Bolton on Friday night and dropped it in the Seabank car park.”

Middlewich Tesco Store Supports the Clean Team

The Tesco Store in Middlewich is yet again proving to be a staunch supporter of the Middlewich Clean Team.

On Monday, 28th January 2013, Store Manager David Moss presented the Team with a cheque for £500. The presentation was attended by Clean Team representatives Janet Chisholm (Chairperson), Stephen Dent (Vice-Chairman), Bernice Walmsley and Darren Ketley.

The money will enable the Clean Team to pay for the plants and bulbs associated with the annual planting of St Michael and All Angel’s Churchyard and the autumn community bulb planting event. Tesco has also agreed to allow the Clean Team to hold displays in the store entrance and to undertake a bag pack on 14th September 2013. MANY THANKS TESCO