Super Scouts Spring Into Action!

This morning, Spotted in Ely shared a story from reader Cheryl about a mass of litter left on Cherry Hill, which was followed by further comments from readers about similar situations in other areas. This stirred a passionate response from residents, and quickly came to the attention of local Scout Leader Brian Calvert.
Knowing he had the people-power to act, Brian got straight on the phone to the council and organised to collect from them various equipment to support a clear-up that same day. By 7.30pm, members of 3rd Ely Scouts were assembled on Cherry Hill, ready to clear up and reclaim the parks. From there, the group soon moved on to Jubilee Gardens and the Riverside where they collected 5 big bags of assorted rubbish, some pint glasses (which were returned to the pub) and even an abandoned shopping trolley.

Making a positive impact in communities has always been a feature of the Scout Association, and Brian felt it was important for his troop to provide a swift response to the litter situation, saying “We respect our community and environment, so when we saw a post on Spotted this morning with pictures of all the litter left behind in Cherry Hill Park last night, I decided we should take action.”
Around twenty leaders, Scouts and other volunteers spent the evening clearing the parks, after which leaders laid on a surprise barbecue and cold drinks for the Scouts in Jubilee Gardens. The Scouts themselves would like to say that they were most enthused by the wonderful comments received from members of the public during their litter picking session.

Assistant District Commissioner Jenny Hughes said “We are grateful to Spotted in Ely for drawing the matter to our attention, and to ECDC for loaning us the equipment at such short notice. We’re looking forward to enjoying our beautiful city’s open spaces this summer and hope that everyone else does too”. Brian added “3rd Ely were fortunate to receive a grant from City of Ely Council last year which was used to buy tents for our first scout camp. As a young group we’re always keen to give back, and it’s nice to see our open places looking clean! Being a leader in Scouts in a satisfying job, it’s great to see the young people getting involved in community projects and having a good laugh doing it”.
For more information on local Scouting visit www.facebook.com/ElyScouts