SUMMERHOUSE residents keen to enjoy the good weather late last month have also helped to keep their village looking at its best.
Claire Hodgson, with her daughters Millie and Phoebe, donned hi-vis jackets and spent a few hours picking litter.
With the snow gone, the family cleared roadside verges of discarded rubbish, amassing three large bags and a sun-lounger in a short space of time.
Cllr Yvonne Stonehouse, Summerhouse parish chairwoman, said: “They did a great job, all off their own backs. We have all the right litter picking equipment in the village hall and they must have just thought ‘right, let’s go and do this’.
“It’s a lovely thing to do and the village looks great. It is a marvellous thing and hopefully it will encourage people to think twice about dropping rubbish when they see they have children picking up after them.
“The morale in the village just keeps going up. Someone else has made flower bed planters for near the signs and we’re busy getting them planted up.”
Meanwhile, Boldron residents David and Hazel Yeadon were following suit.
The couple had gone out to enjoy a leisurely walk but spent most of their time collecting litter from the sides of the Boldron to Startforth road. They are appealing for people to be more responsible when out and about.
Mr Yeadon, said: “We’d only walked about 200 yards and we’d gathered up two bags full of the stuff.”
Hot drinks cups, takeaway cartons and bottles were among some of the items they collected from the hedgerows and verges.
Mr Yeadon said: “It’s not locals who throw this stuff out. It’s people on their way somewhere. It’s not the first time we’ve collected the rubbish up but it would be good if people could be more responsible and put it in a bin, not the countryside.”
