South Terrace lead the way in the Big Spring Clean

Darlington Council delivered the litter-picking equipment on Friday 5 April, and overnight we prepared for the South Terrace 'Big Spring Clean'. By 0930 hours on Saturday we were ready to start- our pickers, sacks, sack-hoops and gloves to hand, and a trestle table with tea urn, juice, biscuits and home-made cakes prominent at the head of the lane. As St Cuthbert's Church struck 9.30, pickers and planters arrived - eventually numbering 15 adults and six children.

Our very first South Terrace Big Spring Clean will go down in the history of the terrace. Never before has the bank between the lane and Victoria Road been so tidy and organised. Our first hour was spent on litter-picking. Every accessible bottle, crisp packet, take-away box and tin can has been removed from both sides of the bank into eight sacks- and with them scrap metal, old timber and an eight foot pile of debris. Dave, who arrived from Darlington's Street Scene, looked amazed at the sheer volume as we helped load his truck.

Our second hour was spent in planting. Our initial flora count of the bank discovered a wide range of plantsalready in evidence - lesser celandine, daffodil, snowdrop, crocus, bluebell, ramsons (wild garlic), cowparsley, nettle, bramble, ivy, and fern - to which we have added a mass of daffodils, snowdrops, wild geranium, primrose, primula and forget-me-not.

We must give a huge 'thank you' to Ben (no 14) and his friends at Paddock Farm Nursery who provided the bulbs and an amazing array of annuals, which now line the entry to Feethams South.

Further thanks go to Phillippa Scrafton (Darlington Street Scene) for arranging the 'Litter Free Durham and Darlington' event, Councillor Paul Harman for his support and encouragement, Dot at no 24 for the Yorkshire tea and biscuits, Stephanie (no 8) for running the tea stall, Veronica (no 11) for organising the troops. But the biggest thanks go to everyone who attended to make the event a social, community and practical success.