Volunteers from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Preston, came out onto the streets on 28 March 2024 to clean up and rejuvenate the local neighbourhood.
The volunteers filled more than 25 bags containing various items of litter, significantly improving the surrounding environment.
The initiative was part of the Great British Spring Clean, the nation’s largest mass-action environmental campaign in which thousands of individuals, groups and schools come together around the country to participate.
The annual event is organised by Keep Britain Tidy, a leading independent environmental charity that works to inspire, educate and enable everyone in the country to value the environment on their doorstep. Keep Britain Tidy is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
The volunteers from the Mandir were joined by the Mayor of Preston, Councillor Yakub Patel, who was impressed by the volunteers’ drive to help the local neighbourhood. The Mayor of Preston Cllr Yakub Patel said, “I really appreciate that [BAPS] is taking responsibility in helping to keep Britian tidy and it shows that this type of community work can bring real value for the local environment.”
Preston City Councillor Matthew Brown also remarked, “I was delighted to see volunteers from BAPS Mandir take part in the Great British Spring Clean this year. This selfless act from our Hindu community shows the brilliant contribution they continue to make to ensure Prestonians live in a more pleasant world.”
Hema Patel, a lead volunteer at the Mandir, reiterated His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj’s message of respect and care for the environment and serving the local community as part of our social responsibility. She also congratulated Keep Britain Tidy for its tremendous work over the past 70 years and affirmed BAPS’s support for their community projects in the future.