Community teams up with University to clear litter from streets

University staff and students have joined forces with residents to clear litter from the streets of Grangetown.

The clean-up is part of the Community Gateway flagship engagement project, which is supporting people in Grangetown to transform their neighbourhood.

Litter pickers, with the help of Keep Wales Tidy, took to the streets on Wednesday and collected more than 30 bags of rubbish.

Community Gateway project leader Mhairi McVicar, from the Welsh School of Architecture, said: "We're finding that litter is one of the issues that is repeatedly raised in Grangetown, and we wanted to do something practical to help.

"The litter pick was a great success, with residents and Cardiff University staff and students working together to make a difference."

Resident Dave King said: "Yet again, I'm so impressed by the engagement and commitment of the local community to get involved in improving where they live.

"Massive thanks to Cardiff University, residents of Grangetown and Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association Cardiff."

Cardiff University students Siqi Shu and Catherine Matheson said: "The litter pick was a great way to make new friends and get to know the local community. We have a new found respect for litter pickers!"

The litter pick was organised in response to the resident-led #KeepGrangetownTidy campaign.

Community Gateway is one of the University's five flagship engagement projects, otherwise known as the University's Transforming Communities programme.

The University is working with communities in Cardiff, Wales and beyond in areas including health, education and wellbeing.

This includes supporting Cardiff city-region, connecting communities through hyperlocal websites, building community engagement models and working with the Welsh Government to help achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

Community Gateway is looking for your ideas for a project or partnership in Grangetown. Please contact: communitygateway@cardiff.ac.uk or write to: Community Gateway, c/o Welsh School of Architecture, Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB.