The Great British Spring Clean is back for its eighth year in a row, from Friday 17 March to Sunday 2 April.

The initiative is part of a national clean up, hosted by Keep Britain Tidy, which helps support the environment by removing any litter or waste. Every bag of litter collected really makes a huge difference and helps us on our journey to creating a cleaner, greener more sustainable Barnsley.

Events will run over the two weeks in areas throughout the borough, with activities such as litter picking and planting that volunteers can sign up to.

If you are a community group, school, business, or would simply like to volunteer with family and friends, we want you to get involved in some way to make a difference.

As part of our ‘Everybody Think’ campaign, we’ll be showcasing some of our great volunteer stories from across the borough. Our Area Teams will help to facilitate litter-picking events, access to equipment, and removal of purple bags collected.

Cllr Caroline Makinson, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, said: “The Great British Spring Clean is a fantastic way residents can work together to protect our beautiful borough while meeting people within their local community.

"I would encourage anyone to sign up for an event and donate some of their time to make a positive impact on the local environment."

Cllr James Higginbottom, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment and Highways said: “We can all do our bit to protect and enhance Barnsley for future generations to enjoy – whether that is picking up litter, getting our recycling right or getting involved in our local community.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to the incredible volunteers who work so hard to ensure that our Barnsley is the clean, green, sustainable town that we can all be proud to call home.”

You can contact your area team on Facebook, or visit barnsley.gov.uk/your-local-area-and-ward. Find out more information about the opportunities available and how to get started as a volunteer at barnsley.gov.uk/GBSpringClean.