An award-winning group of community volunteers is preparing for one of their biggest clean-ups as this year’s Great British Spring Clean gets under way.

Between 13 and 29 March, LAGER Can (Litter Action Group for Ealing Residents) is set to clear litter from all 146 of the council’s parks and open spaces, with the support of Ealing Council’s street sweepers and cleaners, and other volunteers, including school children.

This is the second year the group has taken on this challenge. Last year, 300 litter-pickers took park in the clean-up, donating 1,530 volunteer hours and collecting the equivalent of 2,797 bags of waste.

Cathy Swift, who runs the group, said: “We saw a tremendous response to the project last year. It was a great boost for our regular volunteers to see so many other people joining in – and some keep coming back to help us.

“It doesn’t need to be a big commitment – even an hour or an afternoon, it all counts. It’s a great way to do something useful, spend time with others, and enjoy being outdoors in our wonderful parks.”

Over the past few years, LAGER Can volunteers have completed a series of extraordinary borough-wide challenges: cleaning every road in Southall, Northolt, Greenford, and all 11.5 miles of the Grand Union Canal towpath.

How to take part

Residents can join in throughout the ‘spring clean’ period, whether individually or in organised events. LAGER Can and Ealing council can provide bags, pickers and hi-vis vests, along with collection of filled sacks.

Anyone interested in getting involved can:

• join the LAGER Can Facebook group
• email the team directly at lagercan2020@gmail.com
• arrange their own litter-pick with family, neighbours, schools, or colleagues

Interested in volunteering?

There are lots of other volunteering opportunities in the borough’s parks and beyond too.

Ealing Parks Foundation is a charitable organisation that helps to improve and maintain the borough’s parks. Its volunteers have worked with Ealing Council to transform the older section of South Ealing Cemetery into a park and restore the chapel tower.

The foundation recently partnered with local charity GoodGym to carry out improvements to South Ealing Cemetery.

Volunteers carried out a series of eco-projects including spreading wood chippings from residents’ recycled Christmas trees to keep pathways maintained.

They also built a ‘stumpery’, a structure made of dead trees and wood, which helps provide homes for insects and helps to increase the biodiversity of the area.

GoodGym combines running, walking and cycling with helping out in the community. Go to the GoodGym website to find out how you can get involved.

A boost for wildlife

Pear Tree Park in Perivale hosted a number of volunteer events to help spruce up the park. Last March, volunteers helped plant 5,000 trees to enhance the park and encourage wildlife in the area. In November, volunteers helped install bird boxes for birds to nest in this spring. And, this February, an orchard of pear trees was planted by volunteers, living up to the namesake of the park and providing a source of fruit in the years to come.

Diana Zajdel is the owner of Pear Tree Park Bistro and has taken part in volunteering efforts in the park.

She said: “It’s amazing what people can do. Part of volunteering is seeing what people in the area need and finding a way to provide that within the community. It’s pure love driving what they want to share and change, and it really helps build trust in the community. I have high hopes for what we can do with the park in the future. We’re hoping to encourage more wildlife in the area and engage in more community management.” 

‘Doing something good’

Councillor Blerina Hashani, the council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said: “The borough has such a wonderful community of volunteers who are willing to invest their time in doing something good for so many people. The mental and physical health benefits of getting out to help others are incredible too, and volunteering can help to create a real sense of belonging. I want to thank all the volunteers for their time and dedication to our borough’’

There are lots of volunteering opportunities in parks across the borough. Visit the Do Something Good website to find opportunities near you.