Arranged in partnership with Love Luton and ABCD-in-Luton, Keep Luton Tidy aims to inspire people who live, learn, work or play in the town to create a community environment that everyone can be proud of which is clear of both weeds and waste.

During the one-hour litter pick held in public areas dotted around the University’s Luton campus, students and staff were also joined by members of the local community, including representatives from Luton BID, Discover Islam Luton and St Mary’s Church.

Becky Plummer, Volunteering Recruitment Advisor with the Careers & Employability Service, said: “As a University, we’re really keen on developing opportunities for students to volunteer in the local community, particularly with things involving the local environment and supporting different community groups and charities. It’s really important for students to give something back to their local area and to feel like they’re a part of the wider Bedfordshire community.

“This project also fitted in perfectly with Bedfordshire’s Target Zero campaign, which is all about sustainability and the environment – we’re really proud of everyone who came out to support the Keep Luton Tidy campaign!”

Discussing how the initiative came about, Kevin Poulton – Co-Founder of ABCD-in-Luton – commented: “The idea for Keep Luton Tidy emerged from the passion which myself and my co-founder, Phyl, have for the local environment. It started out as a hobby but during and since the pandemic we have expanded our efforts – it’s great to have the University of Bedfordshire on board, alongside many other local organisations, to encourage more community participation.”

Student volunteers really enjoyed the opportunity to give back to their campus environment and hope other students will follow their lead.

Eric said: “I wanted to volunteer at this litter pick as I’m really interested in the environment. I’m currently studying electric motors and how we can decrease the level of CO2 emissions in vehicles. There’s plenty of bins in Luton so there’s no reason for any of us to leave trash everywhere.”

Akua commented: “Keeping the campus tidy helps to beautify the place all students to enjoy. Initiatives like this are really important because global warming isn’t going away – the ice is still melting and animal species are at risk of dying out, so every way we can help to bring down pollution levels is essential.”

Ajroon added: “I wanted to help the community so decided to take part in volunteering to Keep Luton Tidy. I’ve been sweeping up cigarette butts, leaves, food packages, plasters... we even found an old football!” 

To discover more community and student volunteering opportunities, pop by the Careers & Employability office, based at the Luton campus, or visit the website and follow the UOBVolunteering team on Instagram.