Live Here Love Here? They why not join the Big Spring Clean?

Community and civic pride initiative, Live Here Love Here, is delighted to announce Belfast Harbour as the sponsor for the 2022 Big Spring Clean.

Together, they are encouraging individuals, schools, community groups and businesses across Northern Ireland to get involved with the initiative, which is Northern Ireland’s largest community clean-up campaign.

This year’s initiative, which runs until May 31, will see participants across the country engage in one of three ways. They can take part in a clean-up, organise their own clean up, or add a signature via the Live Here Love Here website to join the growing movement of people who support the campaign.

Since 2009, the annual initiative has seen hundreds of groups and thousands of individual volunteers collectively remove 800 tonnes of waste. This year, both Live Here Love Here and Belfast Harbour are encouraging individuals, schools, community groups and businesses across Northern Ireland to take part and help realise the ambitious target set of at least 1,000 tonnes of waste removal over the coming months.

Helen Tomb, manager at Live Here Love Here, said: “We would like to thank Belfast Harbour for sponsoring this year’s Big Spring Clean. Each year, thousands of environmental heroes across Northern Ireland get involved to help make the Big Spring Clean a success and this year we hope that they will help us to reach our target of removing 1,000 tonnes of waste.

“Litter can be fatal for wildlife and harms both human health and biodiversity, and the Big Spring Clean volunteers make a real difference both to the environment and to the wellbeing of their communities by tackling this very important issue.

“I would strongly encourage people, schools, community groups and businesses across Northern Ireland to visit our website for a list of organised clean ups that they could take part in, or to create a profile, register an event and arrange a clean-up of their own!”

Participants who organise their own clean up between April 1 and May 31 and register it on Live Here Love Here’s website before 30 March, could receive a free starter kit containing a high-visibility vest, a pair of gloves and rubbish bags to support their clean up.

Large groups can borrow litter-picking equipment for their clean up by contacting the Live Here Love Here team.

Jenni Barkley, communications and corporate responsibility manager at Belfast Harbour, added: ”We are proud to sponsor this year’s Big Spring Clean, as we continue with our ambition to be a Green Port. The initiative has made an impressive impact as Northern Ireland’s biggest volunteer clean up, with over 800 tonnes of waste removed to date and we hope that this year, volunteers across the country will get involved to help increase this to at least 1,000 tonnes.

“Our support for the initiative aligns with our Clean Air, Clean Water and Biodiversity agendas, which endeavour to reduce the use of single use plastic and to improve the water quality in Belfast Lough. Our collaboration with Live Here Love Here on the Big Spring Clean is hugely important in realising these green ambitions.”

In addition to the Big Spring Clean, budding litter pickers can register for Live Here Love Here’s Adopt a Spot scheme, which allows families, community groups, youth groups, schools and sporting associations across Northern Ireland to apply to adopt and care for an area that has been neglected.

Free Adopt a Spot litter picking kits can be requested via the Live Here Love Here app, which can be downloaded on the Play and App stores for Android and iOS devices by searching Live Here Love Here.

To find out more about the Big Spring Clean, or to register your clean up, visit: www.liveherelovehere.org/bigspringclean

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