CleanUp Skem – Making Skelmersdale a better place to live.

If you haven’t heard of this fantastic organisation, let us share with you a snippet of the unbelievable work that they do…

CleanUp Skem began back in June 2019 by a group of people who were simply sick of seeing our town swamped under years of litter.  Since then, they have collected a massive 10 tons of the stuff and restored some of the most underrated and underappreciated areas of Skelmersdale to their original beauty!  The work they do relies on local volunteers to get involved and head out on either a Wednesday or Saturday, for a couple of hours, in various areas around the town.   As a thank you, each volunteer is entered into a draw to win a meal in The Miners Peg, who are now the official sponsors of CleanUp Skem.   

CleanUp Skem work closely with Clean and Green, part of West Lancashire Borough Council.  After a pick, the team will leave the rubbish somewhere easily accessible for the Green and Clean team, and then arrange to have it collected.  This is a very good working relationship, and both parties are grateful for each other’s contribution to keeping Skelmersdale clean. 

Now, CleanUp Skem are in talks with local schools to try and get them involved, a CleanUp Skem spokesman said, “I’m so encouraged about just how enthusiastic our schools are for the local environment, we are really pushing at open doors with our local schools and I can’t wait to see how these relationships blossom”.

I personally joined the team on their mission to clear Westhead Clough in January.  I was astonished by what I saw, carpets buried deep in the cloughs, hundreds of bottles and cans, bags of dog muck, trollies, prams, a bike, a scooter, a car seat, several pieces of household furniture, and even a car bonnet!  That was just one pick!  There were 5 of us out picking for 2 and a half hours, and whilst we cleared a lot, there was still so much more to do to restore the area.  A lot of that rubbish had been there for many years and had even grown roots!  It was shocking, but also extremely satisfying getting out there and helping make a difference.  

Skelmersdale’s litter issue has been on going for many years, with a lack of bins, and the issue of vandalism on the existing bins, this is a problem that needs tackling.  It will take a long time to get things right, but by educating the younger generation, and giving them a starting point of clean cloughs to begin with, there is hope for a cleaner, safer Skelmersdale.  

In the meantime, there are plenty of things you can do to help these guys keep on top of the litter, and make Skelmersdale a nicer place to live:

Top Tips to help keep our town rubbish free:

• Do NOT throw your litter out your car window.
• If you are out and about and have litter, please take it home with you to dispose of.
• If you see litter outside your front door, take a few moments to pick it up and put it in the bin.
• Only use genuine rubbish removal services.  The council will collect litter on your behalf, this is chargeable, but it is not worth the risk of a fly-tipper dumping your rubbish in one of our beautiful cloughs.
• If using a private rubbish removal company, always check they have a waste carriers license and ask to see it.
• If you are making a tip run and have room for a few extra bits in your car, why not ask your neighbours if they have anything they need taking? 
• Volunteer for CleanUp Skem – There is no commitment to do this regularly, but a few hours now and again will really help improve the town you live in!   

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying small stones” – Leonardo Stromberg