A Community Payback team – made up of a small group who have been ordered by Magistrates or Judges to work in the community, under the supervision of fully trained Probation Service staff – were among those making a noticeable difference to a Staveley community this week.

They picked up litter, cleared an overgrown area by cutting back thorny bushes and then finished it off by digging the solid soil and planting bulbs there.

While this was going on, unwanted bulky items on a number of streets in Middlecroft were removed with the help of Neighbourhood Rangers from Borough Council Housing Services and a Staveley Neighbourhood Management Ranger. The streets were cleared of litter and graffiti in the area was removed.

The project, organised by Chesterfield Community Safety Partnership as part of The Big Derbyshire Clean Up, concentrated on Fern Avenue, Cavendish Street, St Johns Road, Circular Road, Chesterfield Road, Division Street, Bond Street and Molineux Avenue.

Initial figures show that 13 tonnes of bulky household waste were taken away together with 32 TVs and 19 fridges.

Most of the work was carried out on a single day, (Wed Nov 28) during which Chantry Youth Centre off Calver Crescent , Middlecroft Road was open for residents to put questions to organisations including Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centres, Staveley Neighbourhood Management members of the Safer Chesterfield team including Chesterfield Borough Council Neighbourhoods team, PCSOs and members of the Chesterfield Community Safety Partnership support team.

Three residents from the area also gave up their day to look after the workers and helping out with the actual clear up. The Police visited vulnerable residents in the area to advise on safety and give away free security packs.

Commenting on the clean-up event, Chesterfield Community Safety Partnership Safer Neighbourhoods Officer Emma Orrock said: “A huge amount of work was done in a relatively short amount of time, making a visible difference to the area.
 
“Residents should feel particularly grateful to the Community Payback Team, who will be going back to finish the digging and planting work. They should also feel grateful to the small number of residents who joined in – we often hear people say that there is no sense of community but it is only by joining in with initiatives like this that residents can generate this feeling.”

Earlier in the year The Big Derbyshire Clean Up funded extensive improvement in Middlecroft to the playing field known locally as Top Pitch. The work here has included the installation of gates to block access to trail bikes, the cutting back of overgrown hedges and removal of fly-tipping.

A celebration and information event on the field was staged by the Community Safety Partnership in September.