Local volunteer group Keep Splott Tidy has been shortlisted for Keep Wales Tidy’s 2017 Tidy Wales awards in the Cleaner Communities category.
The ceremony, supported by waste management company Viridor, will be held at the Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay on Monday the 20th November.
Set up after local lady Linda Prendeville got in touch with Inksplott to find out if there was a scheme for volunteers to help clean up the area, Keep Splott Tidy was launched in August 2016 by residents Lynne Thomas, Louise Clarke and Peter Durrant, who had an interest in promoting local volunteering opportunities and making the area a better place. 
With help from Tidy Grangetown and Keep Wales Tidy, the inaugural litter pick was launched in Moorland Park. More than 30 volunteers turned up and over 30 bags of litter were collected.
Since then, the group of volunteers has met on the last weekend of the month, alternating between a Saturday and a Sunday, to target different areas in Splott.
Since August 2016, the group has conducted 13 litter picks, logged 28 hours of volunteering, engaged over 200 volunteers and collected over 400 bags of rubbish from the streets of Splott. While out and about on the monthly events, the group engages with community members and encourages them to join in or to spread the message of responsible waste disposal. Keep Splott Tidy offers help and advice on how to dispose of large items of furniture and keep people informed of changes to collection days via Keep Splott Tidy social media and the Inksplott hyperlocal news service. After each litter pick, the streets are notable cleaner in the following days and weeks.
Volunteers also earn Spice Time Credit vouchers for each litter pick, which can be redeemed against activities like swimming at the STAR Hub, watching the Cardiff Devils etc.
In an interview given to Cardiff University journalism student, Hannah Butler, Keep Splott Tidy secretary, Louise Clarke, said:
“Keep Splott Tidy is ecstatic to be shortlisted.”
“Organising our monthly litter picks might just be the three of us, but we can’t do it without our volunteers,”
“They have clocked up over 28 hours of litter picking and we can’t thank them enough for donating their time.
“We love the ‘get stuck in’ attitude of the Splott community and hope this nomination goes a little way to show all the volunteers how proud we are of them and our Splott community and we all #lovewhereyoulive!”
Read Hannah’s full article here.
Join Keep Splott Tidy on a litter-pick:
- It’s fun, friendly and free!
- Equipment is provided, including gloves, hoops, pickers, high-viz vests and bags
- Volunteers earn Spice Time Credit vouchers for each litter pick, which can be redeemed against activities like swimming at the STAR Hub, watching the Cardiff Devils etc.
- Local businesses often support volunteers by donating free food and drink
To keep up with Keep Splott Tidy, follow on Twitter or Facebook: @KeepSplottTidy or email
keepsplotttidy@gmail.com.