Capital Clean-up Community Toolkit

Cap i tal C le a n - u p C om m u n i t y to o lk i t J u n e 2013

Contents

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Introducing Capital Clean-up

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What kind of clean‑up activity could you organise?

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Planning your Capital Clean-up

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Celebrating your Capital Clean-up

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Useful online resources

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Appendix 1: Risk assessment form

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Introducing Capital Clean-up

Capital Clean-up is a partnership campaign led by the Mayor of London as part of his Team London volunteering programme to help Londoners green and clean our city through community engagement and participation. The campaign is now in its sixth year and so far, we have coordinated over 1,000 cleanup events led by community groups, members of the public and local authorities.

Capital Clean-up aims to support Londoners to take local action to help make your corner of London look cleaner, greener and safer to clean-up their neighbourhoods. You may want to do some planting in neglected green spaces or to spruce up some unloved community buildings, removing graffiti or giving them a fresh coat of paint.

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We periodically offer community grants to constituted groups to fund local activities and we also provide groups with Capital Clean-up Kits, which contain all the essential equipment to get you started.

Check the website for details www.london.gov.uk/capitalclean-up We’re on Twitter CapitalCleanUp

What kind of clean‑up activity could you organise?

Talk to people

authority are good places to start this more formal planning and they Perhaps you want to get rid of the should be able to offer you support graffiti in your local park, or give a and guidance and may even come well-known ‘grot spot’ some badly along to your event to help out. If needed TLC, clean-up and then plant- you’re not sure who in your local up an area to make a more lasting authority to contact email us at difference. Whatever you think your Capital Clean‑up and we’ll help put area needs, one important thing to you in touch with the right people. do is to talk to people.

The simplest way to gain support, recruit volunteers and find out what people want is to ask the people who live around you. Ask your friends, family and neighbours what they’d like to see improved locally, where are the problem hotspots and what could be done about them?

You could also get local opinion and support more formally by asking local community forums, ‘friends of groups’ or neighbourhood panels to give their opinions and invite them to get involved. This is especially important if you are planning a larger event. Your local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team and local

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Environmental assessment An environmental assessment is a way of identifying and recording problems affecting the local environment. It involves walking around the local area noting down any environmental problems they find; it’s also a really good idea to take photos as you go. Common problems you may encounter are graffiti, dumped waste, spaces with a build-up of litter, overgrown trees and bushes that make the area look dangerous and untidy. You could do an environmental assessment to work out exactly what needs to be done in your neighbourhood.

Planning your Capital Clean-up

When you’ve decided what needs to be done, you can start planning your clean-up.

Careful planning is important. You need to be clear about what you want to achieve and make sure that you have the resources in place to make your event a success.

Permission from the landowner or managing authority

going to use and whether they’re suitable for your volunteers. Power tools may get the job done more quickly, but hand tools are far safer!

Depending on the size of your project, you may want to consider applying for some funding to buy additional equipment or planting.

There are many organisations you can apply to and some local authorities also have their own grants for local community activities. Capital Cleanup has a small grant scheme for this purpose and there are usually two opportunities to apply each year.

For all clean-up activities if you are not the landowner you will need to obtain permission from the landowner or managing authority for your proposed The Mayor of London’s Capital activities (e.g. the local authority if your Clean-up grant scheme site is a borough managed park).

The Mayor of London’s Pocket Parks If you are planning a waterway cleanProgramme up,Thames21 will advise you which organisations you need to notify ahead The Mayor of London’s RE:LEAF of your clean-up. In some instances, Programme this will be the Canal and River Trust.

Capital Growth, London’s food growing network provides Materials and equipment information, training and support.

Think about what equipment you’re going to need, be realistic about how much paint or how many litterpickers you need to do the job. Also consider the type of tools that you’re

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Transform Edible East

Recruiting volunteers There are often plenty of people willing to get involved however, it’s important to advertise for volunteers well in advance to make sure you get all the help you need.

There are lots of places you can look for volunteers. As well as your friends, family and neighbours, you could try local schools, youth groups, older people’s groups, disability forums, community centres and religious groups. It’s a good idea to put up posters to recruit volunteers in local shops and supermarkets, libraries, community and leisure centres, even in the local pub! You can download our simple Capital Clean-up poster templates that can be adapted to publicise your own event.

There are a number of free online • Introduce your volunteers to the networks where volunteers can be project and give a clear idea of what recruited. Take a look at these and you’re trying to achieve and what is decide which are most appropriate for expected of them. your project.

• Provide a safe volunteering Team London environment - make sure any risks are identified, minimised and covered by adequate insurance.

Project Dirt Project Dirt has a Capital Clean‑up cluster page where specific clean-up opportunities are posted.

We will gather Do-It

• Resolve difficulties - make sure your volunteers know who to raise any worries and problems with.

Working with volunteers

Volunteers are vital to the success of any community project. However, without good communication and Also use social media sites to organisation it can be difficult to communicate your plans with other recruit volunteers and keep them local groups and gain momentum and coming back. further support. Follow @CapitalCleanup on Twitter and we’ll When working with your volunteers, help you to promote and celebrate ensure that you: your event.

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• Offer support - if you have a large project you could name supervisors to take responsibility for giving groups of volunteers the support they need.

• Ensure everyone feels welcome to volunteer.

Health and safety Health and safety is extremely important. Before your event always ensure that you visit the site to carry out a simple risk assessment to identify any safety concerns and ways to reduce any risk to your volunteers. You can use the risk assessment form in this toolkit.

For further information visit the Health & Safety Executive’s website.

It’s also essential that when you organise a project you are aware of your legal responsibilities. The Event Safety Guide, published by the Health and Safety Executive, will give you all the information you need, refer to the section on small events.

First Aid You must put first aid plans in place, especially if you’re using hand tools like saws and hammers. It’s a good idea to have a basic first aid kit with you on the day; these are included in our Capital Clean-up Kits if you are using one of these.

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We also recommend that there is at least one person with first aid training at your event and make sure your volunteers are made aware of whom the first aider is at the start of the event. As a further precaution we also recommend that you inform volunteers where the nearest hospital with an accident and emergency department is.

Sharps and other hazards In the unlikely event syringes or other drug paraphernalia are discovered during your cleanup, we strongly recommend that volunteers DO NOT attempt to move or dispose of them. Your local authority waste department should be alerted and will safely dispose of them. If there is no-one present from the local authority at your clean-up, we advise you to call them to report this immediately and ensure that your volunteers stay away from the area until the ‘sharps’ have been safely disposed of.

Public liability insurance This insurance covers your liability against claims from the public while they’re attending / volunteering at your event. The level and cost of cover varies depending on your needs and the types of activities you are planning.

If you represent or are organising an event with or on behalf of a local authority, school, charity or social club the clean-up activities may be covered under their insurance policy.

However, it’s important to check the details of your partners insurance before an event, as not all activities may be covered.

Many insurance companies offer insurance for community groups, so shop around to get the cover that meets your needs. Environmental charity, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), offer insurance specifically for community groups putting on environmental events.

Other things to think about Getting the basics right will really help people enjoy your project. Don’t forget to consider • The right clothing - no matter how much preparation you do, you can never guarantee the weather. Bad weather can really dampen volunteers’ spirits, so make sure they come prepared for all conditions and if possible supply your volunteers with protective gloves (gloves are always included in the Capital Clean-up Kits).

• A simple meeting point - make sure your volunteers know when and where you’re meeting, and exactly how to get there. If you’ve managed to get people to commit to volunteering, the last thing you want is for them to be unable to find the event or to be late.

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• Refreshments - food and drink can be a real morale booster for volunteers. If your budget can stretch to providing lunch, then great. If not, some basic refreshments at set break times will keep you and your volunteers going.

Drinking water is essential.

• Toilets - make sure your volunteers know where to find them.

• Recycle, reuse and disposal - aim to recycle, reuse or compost as much as you can. It’s a good idea to have different coloured bags for waste that you can recycle and waste you can not. Do remember all waste for recycling needs to be clean. Contact your local authority waste department to see if they can help with disposal, most are able to collect and dispose of the waste at the end of your event, but always check in advance.

Top tips • Involve local people in every part of the project.

• Plan carefully to make sure you have all the resources you need.

• Do a full risk assessment.

• Provide clear information before an event.

• Supervise tasks and provide clear instructions to volunteers.

• Celebrate the successes of your project.

Celebrating your Capital Clean-up

Recognising your achievements Celebrating your project and recognising the efforts of your volunteers will make them feel valued and will also encourage them to volunteer again. Many groups like to celebrate the end of a project with a small social gathering, a BBQ, picnic or just a few cups of tea. This is a great way for volunteers to get to know each other better and for them to recognise together their achievements after all the hard work.

Promoting your achievements in the media Local journalists are always looking for stories that are of interest to the community and projects that improve the local environment and bring people together are often popular in local press. The local paper may be interested in writing a story about your project and helping you promote it. They might even be interested in a regular feature to follow your progress – why not suggest it?

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Capital Clean-up has created a Template Press Release you can use for this purpose. The press release includes a quote from the Mayor of London and you can insert information about your event and organisation.

Social Media You can get a lot of recognition by using your social media accounts to promote your good work. Why not tweet before and after pictures of your site, or a group photo of your volunteers at work. Follow @CapitalCleanup on Twitter or use #capitalcleanup and we’ll help you to celebrate your achievements online.

We periodically run competitions to recognise the most inspiring cleanups taking place in the capital, so do let us know what you have achieved by twitter, Facebook, Project Dirt or email.

Useful online resources

General Resources

Potential Funding Sources

The Keep Britain Tidy Campaign www.lovewhereyoulive.org

The Mayor of London’s Capital Clean-up grant scheme http://london.groundwork.org. uk/what-we-do/major-initiatives/ capital-clean-up.aspx

CleanUp UK www.cleanupuk.org.uk An online reporting website for London, download the free Love Clean London App www.lovecleanlondon.org

Waterway clean-up advice and support Thames21 the leading waterway volunteering organisation in London www.thames21.org.uk The Canal & River Trust www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

Recruiting Volunteers There are a number of free networks where volunteers can be recruited, including: Team London http://volunteerteam.london.gov.uk Project Dirt www.projectdirt.com We will gather www.wewillgather.co.uk Do-It www.do-it.org.uk

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The Mayor of London’s Pocket Parks Programme www.london.gov.uk/priorities/ environment/greening-london/ improving-londons-parks-greenspaces/pocket-parks The Mayor of London’s RE:LEAF Programme www.london.gov.uk/priorities/ environment/greening-london/releaf Capital Growth, London’s food growing network provides information, training and support. www.capitalgrowth.org Transform Edible East http://london.groundwork.org. uk/what-we-do/major-initiatives/ transform-1.aspx

Appendix 1: Risk assessment form Site/area:

Name and position of person carrying out risk assessment:

Identification of hazards

Risk level

Signature:

Control procedure to reduce risk

High Med Low N/A Containers, gas bottles or large cans Local environmental conditions Hazardous waste Sharp objects Heavy objects Dead/injured animals Animal faeces Asbestos Other

People especially at risk For example younger children Risk = severity x likelihood Severity rating 0 = No injury or illness 1 = First aid injury or illness 2 = Minor injury or illness 3 = Over 3 day injury or illness 4 = Major injury or illness 5 = Fatality or permanent disability

Likelihood 0 = Zero to very low 1 = Very unlikely 2 = Unlikely 3 = Likely 4 = Very likely 5 = Almost certain

Date:

Level of risk after implementation of control procedures High Med Low N/A

Please consider the environment before printing this document. If printing is necessary try to use double sided printing or use scrap paper where appropriate.

Capital Clean-up would like to thank The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 2012 for their permission to use copy from the Changing Places Toolkit.

Thanks also to michelemartinoli.com for the photograph on page 1 and to all the Capital Clean-up grant recipients who provided the other photographs that are featured in this toolkit.

Contact: www.london.gov.uk/capitalclean-up

020 7983 4472

capitalclean-up@london.gov.uk

www.twitter.com/capitalcleanup

www.facebook.com/capitalcleanup

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