Litter Pick Residents Invited To Roll Up Sleeves For ‘Ryde Town Hall Day’

For the second year running Friends of Ryde Town Hall (FORTH) will be hosting a Ryde town litter pick.

Scheduled for Sunday 19 May, from 11am to 1pm, this year’s event will again start outside Ryde Town Hall & Theatre on Lind Street.

Zoë Barker, Chair of FORTH, said:

“This year’s litter pick is a bit different as we are celebrating Ryde Town Hall Day.

"The Town Hall’s foundation stone was laid in May 1830, so we’d like to celebrate the building’s beginnings by inviting fellow residents to do something positive for Ryde at this time each year.

"We would like this to become an annual tradition, and we’ll also give volunteers a brief update on FORTH’s efforts to help return the Town Hall to public use before we get started.”

Last year 45 keen volunteers helped Friends of Ryde Town Hall to collect litter in and around Ryde town centre as part of the ‘Big Help Out’ Coronation weekend.

Their hard work filled 60 sacks of rubbish which were collected by Ryde Town Council staff.

Litter pickers and rubbish bags will be provided on the day courtesy of Ryde Town Council, Ryde Library and Ryde Co-op.

But volunteers are encouraged to bring their own equipment if possible, including a robust pair of gloves.

Friends of Ryde Town Hall, a resident-led advocacy organisation, recently released a comprehensive white paper about a possible future for Ryde Town Hall & Theatre.

Entitled 'The FORTH Report', it is supported by a substantial public survey and many months of community engagement.

The FORTH Report is available to read online and a limited number of printed copies are available to read in Ryde Library.

FORTH presented the report to the full Ryde Town Council on 26 March and were commended for a well-researched and substantive report that represents the community’s views.