Residents from a Fenland traveller community are helping to revamp their neighbourhood following a successful event.
People living on the Newbridge Lane Travellers Site in Wisbech have signed up to a new paint scheme to decorate their own accommodation blocks.
They are helping transform a newly-cleared green area with upcycled flower planters.
An event held at the site was the first in a series of new community mornings organised by Fenland District Council which aim to enhance traveller sites across the district and reduce on-site fly-tipping issues.
During the morning, the council’s community support officer, Sophie Wilkinson invited residents to paint old tyres and turn them into planters for the green.
Residents were also able to collect paint and roller sets after joining a new scheme run by the council in partnership with CCORRN, the Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network Community RePaint.
The scheme has been introduced alongside the council’s ongoing general block maintenance, for any residents wanting to ‘spruce’ up their blocks at little cost.
Miss Wilkinson said: “About a month ago we cleared up the green at the Newbridge Lane site. There used to be fires on there and rubbish dumped, but residents supported us and helped to clean it up.
“We now want to develop the green into a space that people can feel proud of, and get the community involved in making that happen. The engagement morning was a great success with all ages getting involved.”
The council hopes all five traveller sites in Fenland will have the opportunity to host a community morning.
Councillor Simon King, the council’s portfolio holder for community partnerships, said: “Fly-tipping has been a problem throughout the council’s traveller sites for some time and we want things to change. It’s great to see the residents of Newbridge Lane have supported us with this and helped to keep their green area clean.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here