The litter pick, which covered all corners of Shelton in a single day from Leek Road to Aynsley Road, saw volunteers including residents, landlords, school pupils, local businesses and the wider community take to the streets to clear up a significant amount of litter in the area.

The socially distanced community event came about as part of a pledge by VINCI Construction UK to support local community initiatives during the construction of The Catalyst, a £40m flagship building development at Staffordshire University. Alongside this, Shelton Community Partnership and Staffordshire University are working together as part of wider commitments to making the area a great place to live, work and study.

Nic Gratton, Lead for Civic Engagement and Evaluation at Staffordshire University said, “Staffordshire University is proud to have its Stoke-on-Trent campus based in the heart of Shelton. The litter pick was an excellent example of how, by working together, residents, staff, students and the VINCI team were able to make a real and positive difference to the area.”

“The turnout was inspiring, and the sense of community was felt by all. It was a great opportunity for our staff to get to know the area surrounding the campus, to meet and talk to residents and to show our community that we really do love Shelton. We hope that this is the first of many community litter picks through which we can continue to grow our collective sense of pride for the place in which we live, work and study.”

Andy Astley, VINCI Construction UK Preconstruction Manager, said: “There was a brilliant turn out for a day’s litter pick with the Shelton Community Partnership and Staffordshire University next to The Catalyst project in Stoke- on-Trent. It was a real pleasure to meet members of the local community throughout the day, receive some really positive feedback, and help restore some civic pride.”

Imran Ahmed, Secretary of the Shelton Community Partnership said, “It was heartening to see so many people out on the day of the litter pick, which demonstrates the care and passion people have for Shelton. There were school children, university students, landlords, local employers, and residents all working together with the aim of improving Shelton, to make it a better place to live and work for all. Shelton Community Partnership would like to thank all those who were involved in organising this event."

Find out more information about the Shelton Community Partnership at
https://www.facebook.com/SheltonComPartnership/

Find out more about The Catalyst and other Campus Transformation projects at Staffordshire University at:
https://www.staffs.ac.uk/about/facilities/campus-transformations(opens in new tab)