ORGANISERS of the Keep Okehampton Tidy litter pick have asked community-spirited volunteers to step forward and help clean up the town.

Several community groups in Okehampton will join forces with the Okehampton Primary School to take part in a community litter pick on Saturday, May 20.

The group has asked the people of the town to spare a couple hours in the morning to help pick up waste and tidy areas in the town.

Some of the groups getting involved include Okehampton Town Council, the Rotary Club, Okehampton Hamlets Parich Council, The Air cadets, Ockment Rivers Improvement Group as well as a number of churches and other community groups.

Christine Marsh, chair of Ockment Rivers Improvement Group, said: ‘On May 20 we will be linking up with the primary school for the community litter pick.

‘It’s surprising how much litter there is around the town. Each year we take all of the bin bags up to the primary school, which are then pilled up before being collected.

Mike Davies, who set up the Keep Okehampton Tidy initiative when he was mayor, said: ‘We ask that volunteers wanting to help us keep Okehmapton tidy meet at 10am at either the primary school or at the recycling bins in Waitrose car park. Those needing bags or litter pickers will be able to collect these from the primary school.

‘We aim to encourage as many people as possible to support us for just 90 minutes starting at 10am.

‘We would also like to encourage as many people as possible to join in the litter pick and collect litter in their own neighbourhood.

‘All litter can be bagged up with your usual weekly rubbish or taken to and deposited at Okehampton Primary School. All rubbish must be delivered to the school by 2pm on Saturday, May 20, as we have arranged through West Devon Borough Council for the rubbish to be collected.’

For more information, join the ‘Keep Okehampton Tidy’ Facebook group.