Ward 28 councillor Frederick Pohl and his team spent Friday morning, January 19, cutting the grass at Beacon Bay police station.
This forms part of the various clean-up projects that Pohl and members of the community have implemented in and around the Beacon Bay area.
“We came here to assist after a request was made.
“I believe it is important as a community councillor to be visible in the community and lead by example.
“We decided to take our time and just come out here and even use our own equipment.
“This is not a DA project, it is not part of our ward budget, this is just something we are doing to show the community that we care about the cleanliness of our ward,” Pohl said.
Pohl has pledged that as a councillor, he is prepared to use his own time and resources to clean up any area that is considered municipal grounds.
DA MP Chantel King, who also got her hands dirty by raking up grass at Beacon Bay police station, said the cleanup projects were more than just about keeping the city clean.
“This is not just about cleaning up East London.
“It is also about skills development.
“We hope to also inspire others who are not part of our ward to also clean up their areas. It is a call to action for many other projects to kickstart.
“The projects began last year and have been doing very well since then,” King said.
Community members of Beacon Bay have been proactive over the last few months where cleaning the ward is concerned.
Tidy Towns spent the day taking part in a beach cleanup project along Bonza Beach on Saturday.
Team leader Scott Roebert said the beach clean-up at Bonza Bay was a success.
“As a community, we are proud of our natural resources and the beach is a special place where we take our families.
“When heavy rains fall, the mouth of the Quenera River opens and water from far up washes out, often bringing with it plastic waste.
“We normally kick into action and send out messages on our WhatsApp group calling for action and the response is always fantastic.
“This past weekend about 10 of us filled 10 refuse bags, sponsored by Leader Packaging, to the brim with mostly small plastic items like bottle tops, ear bud sticks, plastic bottles and packets,” Roebert said.
Tidy Towns plan on having clean-ups monthly and if anyone would like to get involved they are free to contact Roebert via WhatsApp on 083-458-0163.
