During the May half term, the Community Ambassador Programme (CAP) of Halton Moor, Leeds, came together to clean up the local area around Sutton Park.
On May 28th, 2025, the young people spent three hours of their school break to come together and demonstrate to the local area their desire to break down the intergenerational barriers and bring the community closer together.
In the past, young people in Halton Moor have been accused of destruction and vandalism. Therefore, the CAP has previously hosted other community events in the same spirit, to strengthen community bonds and reduce intergenerational inequality. The past events organised by the CAP included hosting an afternoon tea and bingo session with the older community members, as well as leading a Halloween themed activity afternoon for the children of the local area.
Over the last eight weeks, the young people in Halton Moor oversaw every stage of the event from concept to delivery. They designed posters to place around the local community centre, explaining the time and date of their planned event. The young people also evaluated risks, as well as taking part in knife awareness and drug awareness workshops to prepare them for the unlikely event the young people would find something harmful during the litter pick. Lastly, the young people also contacted local authorities to let them know of their planned event.
The young people were full of energy and spent the afternoon strolling around the Sutton Park area. The CAP filled up almost 20 large bags of litter from the local area, collected by Clarion the same afternoon. Throughout the event, the young people received much positive feedback from locals, explaining their gratitude for the hard work.
Reflecting on the experience, the CAP said they got exactly what they wanted from the litter pick. They were able to negate the stereotypes against young people in the area and instead created a safe and welcoming environment for everybody to be a part of.
