Group ready to improve environment in Milkstone & Deeplish

Ghulam Rasul Shahzad

On Saturday 30 June, the Rochdale Environmental Action Group was launched at Castlemere Community Centre. The launch of the group was organised by Christine Mathewson and Ghulam Rasul Shahzad, with the support of Sister Noel Barron.

Local residents are tired of living with terrible levels of litter and fly tipping. The coming of the metro and various other developments in the town signal a great time to clean up and make it a town to be proud of.

Co-ordinators, Christine Mathewson and Ghulam Rasul Shahzad made a joint presentation about the importance of improving the environment in the town, starting with Milkstone and Deeplish.

The launch was attended by residents, representatives of the Rochdale Council Environmental Management, Friends of Broadfield and Falinge Parks, Rochdale Co-operative Museum, Rochdale Area Watch Association, St. Chad’s Close Home Watch Scheme, businesses on Milkstone Road, and the BME Fire and Safety Education Association.

The group discussed and approved the aims and objectives of the constitution, looked at the hotspots in the Milkstone & Deeplish Area and discussed the way forward with emphasis being on involving the community and changing minds and hearts about dropping litter and fly tipping.

Useful suggestions included CCTV cameras for enforcement of the Litter Act, provision of larger bins, printing of the names of businesses on their wrapping papers, changing attitude of customers by education, identifying champions in every street taking responsibility for their area, utilising existing resources, linking up existing initiatives and forming new partnerships to take the objective forward.

Being an Action Group the members agreed to start helping residents to clean their area, this will commence with the cleaning of Mere Street and the surrounding streets at 10am on Saturday 7 July, 2012. Residents of the area are encouraged to meet at Castlemere Community Centre and become involved with this initiative. The Environmental Management of the Rochdale Council will provide litter picks and the plastic bags. This cleaning campaign will be ongoing and will continuously recruit local people to become involved, take ownership and become members of the action group.

It was emphasised that the Group cannot achieve the aims and objectives without the help and support by the residents, businesses, mosques, churches and organisations in the area.

Anyone wishing to join the Group or help in any way, please contact Christine Mathewson on 07788 656 666 or Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE 07851 323 612.