Answering the Mayor of Bangor’s appeal for a massive city-centre clean-up, Gwynedd County Council chair, Councillor Medwyn Hughes decided that rolling his sleeves up wasn’t quite enough … trouser legs too!
Scores of local volunteers – including more than 30 teenagers in preparation for military and public service careers – responded to Mayor Elin Walker-Jones’s drive to rid Bangor’s mile-long High Street and surrounds of abandoned litter, old posters, weeds, bottles and beer cans and ‘unmentionables’ in a huge tidy-up on Wednesday (16 August).
And there, with shovel and yard-brush, Gwynedd Council chairman Medwyn Hughes, one of six City councillors who added muscle to the event worked under the supervision of MPCT students, 18-year-olds Alyssa Badcott-Collinson (left) and Katie Fitton both on preparation courses before training for military service.
‘The two of them’, said Councillor Hughes, ‘volunteered to take on the awesome job of cutting back tree branches, bramble, ivy and deep-rooted Buddleia from around the Grade II listed Biblical Garden arch which has been an eye-sore for years! Their enthusiasm and astonishing determination was a joy to see. They’ve opened up the whole area to light and appreciation of just what an asset this masonry arch is to Bangor. And not content with that, they sanded down and re-varnished the public bench so often used by visitors. For future careers in the Armed Forces, they’ve certainly earned their stripes; they were pretty good at even bossing me around to do what had to be done!’
And Mayor Elin Walker-Jones added: ‘Of course, everyone who gave up time and muscle to this massive effort has to be thanked … but the appearance on the streets of 30 fit and enthusiastic MPTC teenagers was an absolute bonus’.
The day-long event coincided with start of the massive task of painting out and high-pressure hosing thousands of pounds worth of graffiti vandalism sprayed over public and private properties last week. Two youths have been arrested. ‘Even before that, Bangor needed a lot of extra muscle to rid the streets of debris and litter. The aim now is to stay on top of it and there’s still a lot more to achieve including focus on the higher elevations of vegetation blocked guttering and opening up of mud-compacted drains’, said one city councillor.
Katie Fitton (18) who hopes to join the Royal Engineers and friend Alyssa – an RAF hopeful – both agreed their day’s ‘civic duty’ was a bit of an ‘eye-opener’. ‘Loads of people think life in the military is all about wars and national security stuff … but actually so much of it is focussed on just down to earth public service. When I walk to the bus station on my way home from Bangor every day I can look at the Bible Garden arch and say ‘I did that!’ Great feeling’
