RESIDENTS and volunteers will be donning their gloves and bin bags and setting off on a mission to tidy up Tavistock early next month, after a recent meeting demonstrated strong feelings about the issue of litter in the town.

The increase of littering sparked an initiative to clear the mess, with community members starting the 'Tidy Tavy Campaign.'

Organisers of the campaign held an open meeting at Tavistock Wharf, where it was evident that residents in the town felt strongly about the issue and a date of Saturday, October 1, was set for the first Tidy Tavy day, starting at 10am. At the meeting Devon County councillor Debo Sellis praised the support being generated by this campaign: 'Tavistock's community spirit is very much alive and well. With the hard financial choices faced by the local councils at the moment, the Tidy Tavy Campaign is like manna from heaven.'

The two main points of the Tidy Tavy group is to tackle areas where litter is accumulating and to monitor areas around the town so that local services, that are already in place, can be better notified and can act swiftly to empty bins and maintain hedgerows.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Everyone at the meeting praised the work undertaken by Tavistock's street sweeper Tony Boylin. His hard work is in no way being criticised by this initiative — there is only so much one man can do. With the support of the councils, who will trim back the hedges in time for our Tidy Tavy day, we plan to attack the route along Tavistock Primary School, along the canal and onto Crowndale.

'With the original plan to clean up the canal in the Meadows being accomplished so swiftly — achieved by the prompt efficiency of South West Water and the diligent reporting from our Tidy Tavy team — we felt it time to push the group further and tackle the litter where we can.'

Residents and anyone who would like to volunteer their time to help the clean up can join in with the Tidy Tavy day on Saturday, October 1 at 10am. The group will be meeting on the school side of the underpass that joins the Meadows with Tavistock Primary School. Please bring along your own gloves as these won't be provided.

'We welcome any and all help and advice and would love to hear if you feel a certain area of Tavistock needs to be tackled. As a community our strongest card is ourselves and if people can let us know when and where something needs doing, with your support we can keep Tavistock tidy,' added the spokesperson.

l For more details of the Tidy Tavy group visit http://www.tidytavy.co.uk">www.tidytavy.co.uk or email them on [email protected]">[email protected]