Horsham Park given a spring clean for the queen

The campaign encourages people to clear Britain’s rubbish in time for the queen’s 90th birthday, officially celebrated in June.

More than a dozen volunteers picked litter in the park with bin bags and other equipment provided by Horsham District Council.

Horsham-based volunteer group Green Gym was joined by volunteers from Horsham in Bloom, who work in the Human Nature Garden every Friday. There were also those who had heard about the campaign and wanted to help.

Parks Technical Officer Paul Parker, who was organising the park rangers and the volunteers, thought the Clean for the Queen campaign was a good opportunity to give the country a spruce up while getting more people volunteering for their community.

He said: “We try to encourage people to take better care of the park. The more people volunteer, the more they care about their environment.”

District Council Parks Manager Evan Giles was grateful for the volunteers as financing is often short.

He said: “We couldn’t do what we do without the support of volunteers.”

Despite there being 60 bins in Horsham’s parks, he said that litter was still an issue, particularly in the summer and at weekends.

Although the day was specifically for the Clean for the Queen campaign Green Gym chairman David Jessop, 73, said: “I don’t think I’m doing it for the queen, I’m doing it for the community.”

Fellow volunteer Louise Hill, 50, agreed that the royal campaign wasn’t the only reason for the clear-up.

She said: “It’s a nice catchphrase, but I don’t think people are cleaning for the queen, they’re cleaning because they hate litter.”

The next clear-up event will take place tomorrow (Saturday March 5) from 10am, with volunteers meeting at Carfax Bandstand and picking litter around the town centre.

For information about volunteering opportunities email [email protected]

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