Volunteers keep town's streets clean to boost area

13 hours ago

Lee Blakeman,BBC Radio Stokeand

Oprah Flash,West Midlands

The Tunstall business pledging to clean up Stoke-on-Trent

A group of volunteers have been cleaning up the streets in a bid to boost their local area.

The Big Tunstall Clean Up, a group of business owners and residents, have set about keeping the high street in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, free from litter, graffiti and grime.

Formed in October 2024, the movement has grown in popularity born out of a growing belief, organisers said, that the town had started slipping into a state of disrepair.

"I just want to make the place better and all the support we get makes you feel good, " Curtis Peters of TS Domestics, one of those spearheading the group, said.

News image — Curtis Peters says he hopes the movement can grow throughout the county

TS Domestics A man dress in blue is empting a large green waste bin — Curtis Peters says he hopes the movement can grow throughout the county

Peters, who runs the hardware store, told BBC Radio Stoke: "I'm from Tunstall, I've always lived in Tunstall, I've got children who live in Tunstall and if we can tidy the high street up it will bring more footfall and get more people in the shops.

"It's become a passion, everywhere I'm driving now I think, 'that could do with cleaning up'."

The team dedicated two days a week to serving the community with the aim of similar clean-up groups to be created across Stoke-on-Trent's six towns.

TS Domestics A group of eight men and one woman smiling at the camera with their thumbs up. They are stood in front of a purple skip — The group have taken it upon themselves to keep Tunstall High Street clean

"We've started in Tunstall, it's going to grow to the city and once we've done the city we keep going, there is no reason why this has to stop," the businessman added.

Rhys Oakes, of TS Domestics, said: "We are trying to build a movement, if not build then join forces with others across the country to make this into a massive thing."

So far, the scheme has been self-funded by the businesses involved, but a foundation is set to be launched to help attract donations so the clean-up movement can grow.

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