New tidy towns champion appointed for Pembrokeshire 

In a bid to support and encourage the people of Pembrokeshire to take responsibility for the quality of their local environment Keep Wales Tidy have appointed a dedicated officer to support the formation of volunteer groups who will adopt and restore communities to their former glory.
With the nations litter clean-up bill set to top £50 million, environmental campaigners Keep Wales Tidy are to take a lead role in the nationwide Tidy Towns initiative which aims to give the people of Wales the know how to take responsibility for improving the quality of their local environment.

The Tidy Towns initiative was launched earlier this year by Jane Davidson, the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing.
“I am delighted that we can work with Keep Wales Tidy to give people back some pride in their local areas and clean up litter and waste in our communities. This funding initiative is an important step towards empowering local people to take action where they see fit. Our local environment is key to our quality of life and can significantly improve people’s health and well-being,” said Ms Davidson. 

Pembroke Dock based Mari Williams, who has been working for Keep Wales Tidy for nearly three years, has taken on the new challenge and her many years experience of working in the environmental sector will prove invaluable in making the county a cleaner and safer place to live and work in. 

Mari commented, “Pembrokeshire is a beautiful county with so much to offer, both to local communities and visitors alike. Litter is an unnecessary problem that has a detrimental impact on the quality of our environment. I am looking forward to working with Pembrokeshire County Council and local communities to tackle these problems. We are aware that the county has an international reputation for its environment and each one of us has a responsibility to maintain and possibly enhance that reputation”.  

Tidy Towns project officers are based in communities across Wales and provide expert advice and support. Keep Wales Tidy are keen to emphasise that the people and communities affected will drive the initiatives, while project officers are on hand to pass on their years of experience in all aspects of community participation. 

Since her recent appointment, Mari has worked with 43 community groups across the county on a range of projects. Some of the most recent groups to join the project include Amroth Coastcare, Dale Fort Field Centre and Johnston Scout group. Pembroke North Community Association has also been hard at work, clearing out the woodland at Devon Drive in Pembroke. This area has been blighted to years of fly-tipping but the local community are determined to restore this area for the benefit of all.   

On August 12^th community groups will be invited to a seminar, which will give individuals an opportunity to identify particular environmental issues of concern and to identify how the Tidy Towns initiative can help them with tackling these problems.  

As well as offering advice and practical assistance, the Tidy Towns project also has small grants available to groups to help them cover the cost of their projects.  A group of volunteers in Pembroke have already benefitted from a grant, which has enabled them to purchase litter-picking equipment to continue with their ongoing clean-ups around the ponds and streams in Pembroke.  

If you would like more information on Tidy Towns or would like to get involved with work happening in Pembrokeshire you can contact Mari Williams on 029 2038 1723 or 07824 504816 or by e-mail on mari.williams@keepwalestidy.org

Contact the Web Project
2007©
This web site is developed in the Community By the Community for the Community
Hon President B. M. Rixon MBE
Pembroke Dock Community Web Project
Administration only
Web Project Co-Ordinator- © MoonlightBlue