FAMILIES demonstrated pride in their community over the weekend as the residents of Stanwix came out in their droves to help clean up the community.

As part of Give a Day to the City, councillors joined forces to rally the troops to get the area in tip-top condition. Children donned high visability vests and grabbed litter pickers to head off round the streets and green areas to remove rubbish.

Every year Stanwix hosts a big clean up, and this has always had a large turnout, but with Cumbria in Bloom just round the corner, the community was tasked with keeping on top of the hard work that was started in March.

Councillor Paul Nedved was part of the drive behind the clean up. He said: “It’s really exciting, it is one of the many events we do here, it’s a fantastic day it demonstrates pride in our community.

“I think the critical thing is getting all generations involved and it is wonderful to see the vast majority of people coming are from the younger generation. We have people that are four or five-year-old right up to the late teens.

“Year on year more people show their support and it shows that Stanwix is the place to be, a place to be recognised.”

Alongside Mr Nedved was Councillor Liz Mallinson. She said: “We have actively engaged with the whole community in Stanwix - the school, the church and the Brownies - everyone you can think of, including your councillors and the Friends of Rickerby Park, are here.

“We have the judging for Cumbria in Bloom and this is a golden opportunity to promote healthy living, socialising and putting something back into the community.

“We hope that we can make the environment nice, clean and welcoming.”

Families arrived at 10am, picked up their tools and got right to work. Rebecca Dockerty, 34, from Stanwix arrived with her two daughters, Emily and Anna, and wanted to help them understand it’s important to help in the community, she said: “I came here to help clean up. My daughters wanted to come and do litter picking and help Cumbria in Bloom by giving a day to Carlisle.

“It’s nice to give back to the community and to show my children that it’s something important to do.”

Supporting the community project is Becky Clarkson, one of the managers at Stanwix Community Pre-School. She said: “We have been planting with the children, we do it every year. We buy the flowers and share the upkeep. It has been a tricky year with the changing weather.

“It’s nice for the community and it’s great for the children to learn about plants and to play outside with the wildlife.

“Teaching the children about the environment from a young age is important, especially the area they live in.”

Helping with some of the more unusual tasks was Gilmour McKellar, who was helping with the clean up and was offering his vast knowledge of compost to the team. He said: “What caught my eye was the community garden and I thought I could offer my knowledge of compost to garden organic. All gardens benefit from the production of compost and it also saves that little bit of waste going to landfill.

“It’s a bit of an effort but if everyone has an understanding it’s not difficult.”

Over the course of Give a Day to the City, many people have given up their time to help, not just in Stanwix.

As part of Give a Day to the City, law firm Baines Wilson recently made a day out to The Sill - the UK’s national landscape discovery centre - in Northumberland, possible for members of Amy’s Ca, which offers daycare through social clubs for older adults, in particular for those living with dementia.

Visiting The Sill has been a goal for the group for a long time but a lack of volunteers had hindered the plans. Based in the heart of Hadrian’s Wall country and opened in 2017, The Sill is the UK’s National Landscape Discovery Centre and The centre is difficult to attend without the much-needed volunteers to help.

Fraser Dooley, who set up Amy’s Care, said: “Visiting this state of the art centre proved a fantastic day out for all.

“We enjoyed stunning views, good interactive activities, lunch, plus plenty of tea and cake. At Amy’s Care, we believe in providing a stimulating and engaging environment that helps our members enjoy a fulfilling life.

“To provide this, we rely on volunteers, especially for our more ambitious days out. We’re therefore very grateful to Baines Wilson for facilitating this trip to The Sill.”

Sean Logue, head of partnership from Baines Wilson said: “As a firm, we’re committed to supporting our local community. We had a great day out with Amy’s care and would encourage anyone considering volunteering with them to give it a go.”

Over the course of the week-long Give a Day to the City campaign, hundreds of hours of people’s time have been donated to help the communities where they live.