Clean-up stalwart appeals for pride
Clean-up campaigner Sandra White with rubbish in Victoria Street car park in 2009.
A WOMAN who voluntarily cleans Spalding’s streets every day says its residents must start taking pride in where they live.
Sandra White believes fighting growing problems such as litter and anti-social behaviour must be made a priority to ensure the town can thrive again.
Sandra (68), who has previously been crowned Citizen of the Year and Green Volunteer of the Year at the South Holland Pride Awards for patrolling the streets for up to five hours a day, thinks the answer is for everyone to do their bit and keep their own areas tidy.
She believes if people see an area is looked after they will be less likely to carelessly toss their rubbish aside.
She said: “I have no rubbish in my streets and just two little bins on the bus station and King’s Road. Everyone used to say ‘what a mess’ but I make sure we don’t get any rubbish on the front now.”
In the early hours of the day, it’s not unusual to see Sandra armed with gardening tools making sure everything is looking its best. But it’s taken her a long time to get it this way and she fears the rest of the town has “had it” unless it’s put right soon.
She says some areas have left her feeling “queasy” with rubbish left to rot for months at a time.
Sandra, of Sandtone Gardens, has even come up with a more radical suggestion for South Holland District Council to consider – to put all major developments on hold for a year to get the town ship-shape.
“They need to stop thinking about building and get things right,” she said. “I’ve been out in the morning and people have told me they can’t wait to move away.”
Sandra says she has been “making a fool” of the council by single-handedly keeping the area around Winfrey Avenue and Pinchbeck Road so tidy.
She added: “We need to hold on and get Spalding right from the litter upwards.”
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Weather for Spalding
Friday 25 May 2012
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Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
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Comments
There are 10 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
joggaju
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 11:56 AM@9 I own a business in the town and see the PCSOs every day - we have four for the town centre, but as their beat now extends from the power station in the north to the BP garage at Little London in the south please tell me how they can possibly 'police' all of their beat?
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:38 PM@joggaju. They should be expected to do something about offenders dropping litter, along with a whole host of other duties. It is what they get paid for, unless of course PCSO's are not authorised to do anything about it. I walk into Spalding virtually every day and I have not seen any police, either PCSO's or actual police on foot for over a year. The two things most complained about are litter and speeding, because these are easily spotted. The people who drop litter and exceed the speed limit are most commonly residents of the area.
CampaigningForSpalding
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 04:24 PMA credit to the area. Well done. To add, I've made many attempts to include youngsters in the community efforts that I make with regards to clearing rubbish and have now been told by the police and council that I can not unless I provide insurance and toilets - so go figure - by the reasoning that I've been told then how on earth is anyone meant to follow this wonderful woman's example? The Council does not like this kind of activity as it undermines our dependence on them as a community, a self sufficient pro active community has no need for Council involvement and so they fight tooth and nail to make sure we sit back doing nothing.
joggaju
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 02:11 PM@6 - I agree with you - in Spalding we also have a good team of PCSOs on the beat every day but should they really be expected to have to watch for litter droppers as well as doing all there other duties. Only today whilst walking along Broad Street there were two young ladies have a 'fag' break outside the Business Centre - they both dropped the 'tabs' into the gutter as I walked past to add to the other twenty or so already there. Walk round the town and you will see that situation outside many businesses. It is about time that EVERYONE started to take some pride in their town as we are looking very untidy at present (in places).
Another local resident
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:41 PMWould like just to let Mr. Angry of Tonbridge know that there is a good police community beat team looking after Pinchbeck. Only today I saw a uniformed PCSO walking through Pinchbeck and then the PCSO went into Pinchbeck Library and carried out a Police Surgery. We have a very pro-active police community beat team who keep in regular contact with many Pinchbeck residents and businesses. The community beat team are easily available to contact either via telephone or email.
justmyview
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:27 PMThe sad fact is, there are too many people living in Spalding who don't seem to have a problem living in a town that resembles a rubbish tip..... if they did we wouldn't have such a big litter problem.
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 12:16 PMI often see Sandra and her partner working of a morning as I walk in to town. They do a tremendous job, and, without any pay that I am aware of. Hopefully the council supplies their bin bags and equipment at least. I am lucky enough to live in an area where the neighbours and I keep our little portion of the world neat and tidy. It's obvious that there are not enough police people about on foot and able to deter of catch people who are littering. I wonder how many constables there are actually on uniform duty these days compared to the bad old days. I also wonder what happened to the police people who worked at Pinchbeck, Crowland, Whaplode, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge and even Gedney Drove End?
jonty
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 08:29 AMWell done Sandra, You are a credit to our town, If more people had your attitude the world we live in would be a much nicer place.
Lazy Daisy
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 08:23 AMI met Sandra at the Pride Awards and she is an inspiration. The council should use her as a consultant as she has vast knowledge of the types of rubbish deposited on the streets of Spalding.
mavrick
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 08:09 AMmay i say a big thank you for doing a good job but i to think a lot of people have no pride of there streets any more i am always picking up bottles, cans and food wraps off my garden but only yesterday the dustbin men were around and years ago the brush and pan they have on there lorry they used to use them but not any more. as i was going to town i see a bag of rubbish waiting to be collected but it had split buy the time i had gone by in my car the dust bin men had been but left the bag of split rubbish to blow all over so were is the pride even in our dust bin men
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