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21
Sept
Harrogate volunteers donate 180 hours to improve town centre
Harrogate has been given a refresh thanks to the work of volunteers who took on jobs around the town.
Harrogate Action Days, organised by Harrogate BID, took place between September 16 and 19, with the aim of getting 80 hours of volunteer work done to tidy up the area.
The initiative went even better than expected, with a total of 180 hours of work donated. On the first day alone, 75 hours were clocked up.
Jobs that managed to be completed included painting bollards and lampposts, street sweeping, cleaning street furniture and deadheading plants.
There was a whole range of volunteers, from local individuals and businesses to companies from ‘further afield’ who used it as an opportunity for corporate volunteer days.
Joshua Lewis-Roberts, marketing and communications officer at the BID, said:
We were really pleased with the turnout of volunteers for our volunteer days. The weather was less favourable on Friday and Saturday, which limited the amount of work we could do, but we still far exceeded our target.
We had a really positive response from members of the public while we were out carrying out the work. People regularly stopped to chat, thank the volunteers and comment on what we were doing.
For us, it wasn't just about the physical improvements. Bringing people together to take pride in the town and showing what can be achieved when businesses, residents, community groups and partners work together was a really important part of the initiative.
Due to the success of the event, the BID intends to make it a more regular occurrence, hoping that even more people will volunteer when they see the benefit it’s had.
Jason Maxwell, chief executive of Harrogate BID, said:
Harrogate Action Days are about bringing people together to take practical action and take pride in the town we all share.
We know that councils are facing significant financial pressures and difficult decisions around how resources are used, but Harrogate Action Days aren’t about taking away from or replacing the work that the council does. They’re about asking what we can do together, as businesses and as a community, to make a positive difference to the place we all share.
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