Sutton Parkway railway station at Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, is now looking much more welcoming after volunteers from Ashfield District Council, Station Adopters, and staff from local business, Van Elle came together last Tuesday, 31 October, to pick up litter and give the station a general clean up.

The station is one of Ashfield’s busier railway stations, and for their efforts, the volunteers collected 26 bin bags of litter, including a baby car seat and a duvet. In response, the local council has issued a reminder that it is the responsibility of users of the station to dispose of litter responsibly. Many residents rely on public transport for work, leisure, and for visiting friends and family.

With so many people using the station, it can easily become a hot spot for litter and graffiti, while each year it sees a natural build-up of leaf litter.

Executive Lead for Parks and Environmental Services, Cllr Samantha Deakin, said “We are proud that we can call on such dedication from the community. It’s a shame that a small minority of people don’t share the same pride in the area they live and instead of holding onto to litter until they can put it in a bin, chose to discard it in public.”

Jono Wright, Senior Engineering Manager for Van Elle attended the day and said: “Without the selfless actions of our Ashfield Volunteers, many of our public and open spaces would remain in an unkept condition. I cannot thank the volunteers enough for the volunteering activities they do.

“We strongly believe that community clean-ups are a helpful way to enlighten residents about recycling and various activities that can collectively reduce our carbon footprint.

“Following the hard work from our volunteers, it was great to see the transformation of the Sutton Parkway Rail station area, now appearing notably brighter and cleaner.”