A COMMUNITY group has completed its first cleaning project as it aims to engage more people in improving the areas in which they live.

Members of BCP Bring Community Power litter picked, cleared weeds, filled potholes and cleaned climbing frames, signs and bins in Churchill Gardens, Boscombe.

The cleanup, on Saturday, April 6, was the group’s first project since its foundation in January, coordinated by Simone Ippolito.

Simone said the day was a ‘massive success’.

Bournemouth Echo:

“First project done, first garden cleaned, a lot of positive energy going around,” he said.

“Quite a lot accomplished in just shy of three hours.

“This just shows the amount of power that every single one of us has if we pull together as a community, with a community goal and keeping in mind that this is the place that we live in.

“If everyone contributes a little bit towards it we will all live in a better place.”

Moving forward, the group is aiming to do one big project, similar to the cleanup, every month, and Simone called on others to join and help the group improve the area.

Bournemouth Echo:

He said: “We’re trying to bring a different mentality to the game, we want people to engage more with their communities, be proud of their communities and be more responsible for their communities at the same time.

“We all live here, we all have a responsibility to keep our place tidy and clean. Every little helps.

“If everybody goes out and cleans a piece of their street once a week, once a month, we will all live in a better place.”

Cleaning Churchill Gardens was one of two action points agreed at the group’s February meeting, with members of the public voting for the area they felt needed cleaning most.

The second action point was around culture, with everyone in the group aiming to share positive messages about the town and the group to help improve the area.

For more information on the group, search for BCP Bring Community Power on social media.