Volunteers from drug and alcohol centre help clean up park

VOLUNTEERS from a Llanelli-based drug and alcohol intervention service have helped clean up a local park.

Chooselife Cymru, which offers advice, information and support to drug and alcohol users as well as their families, teamed up with Glanymor and Tyisha Communities First with the help of Tidy Towns and Keep Wales Tidy to carry out a litter-pick at Crown Park in Seaside.

A total of 30 bags of rubbish were filled in just one afternoon. Efforts were concentrated in one corner of the park which was badly affected by litter.

Alan Andrews, managing director of Chooselife, said: “All the volunteers that went felt that they wanted to help support the community in which they live and going out cleaning up areas that have been neglected made them feel a bigger part of the community.  “Substance misusers normally get bad press but in this instance, it shows that you cannot tarnish everyone with the same brush. We are more than willing to help out in the future in any way that we can.”

Tidy Towns is a Welsh Assembly Government-funded initiative delivered in partnership by Carmarthenshire County Council and Keep Wales Tidy.

The aim is to encourage and support communities to improve the quality of their local environment.

The council’s executive board member for regeneration Councillor Clive Scourfield said: “Our parks are extremely important facilities for communities and it is a shame that so many of them are littered in this way.

“I would like to commend all those volunteers that gave up their free time to help clean up Crown Park; it will make such a difference and will hopefully encourage the community to keep it that way.

“By working together we can improve the quality of the local environment for both residents and visitors.”

For further information on Tidy Towns contact Simon Troake on 01554 742159 or email STroake@carmarthenshire.gov.uk