Milestone for Buxton’s green team
“Members of the public are very supportive and visitors often say they wish they had a similar set-up in their town.”
In 2016, a group of volunteers from Buxton Town Team joined forces to clean the stonework around St Anne’s Well, then decided to tackle the rest of the Slopes. Ten years on, they’re still going strong.
As the Slopes Team celebrates its anniversary, many of the original members are still involved in weekly clean-up sessions to keep the green town centre landmark looking its best.
“When we started everything was incredibly scruffy. We initially focused on scraping the moss off all the north-facing retaining walls and then down Terrace Road,” says Steve Bradshaw.
“After that, we removed branches which were partially blocking footpaths and starting to focus on the paths themselves, edging and weeding.”
The team meets for two hours on alternate Thursday and Saturday mornings after collecting their tools from founder member Janet Miller’s nearby home.
There’s always plenty to do, says Jim: “The aim is to keep The Slopes looking as tidy, presentable and cared-for as possible. It’s a unique place and it’s central to the look and feel of the town.”
Regular tasks include gardening, edging grass areas, pruning, cleaning and sweeping steps and pathways, cleaning litter bins and litter picking as well as bulb planting and painting the weather station railings.
Grass cutting and major tree maintenance is carried out by High Peak Borough Council, which also collects the team’s cuttings and weeds.
“We get a lot of positive feedback for passers-by,” says Jim. “Members of the public are very supportive and visitors often say they wish they had a similar set-up in their town.”
The team has around 10 active members, with a core of six or seven who turn up every week. They include original members Jim and Steve, Andy Regan, Phil Sutton and Linda Barker.
Coffee breaks, courtesy of the Pump Room, add a social aspect to the sessions. “We have become good friends over the years,” he says. “Although as we’ve got older, we spend more and more time talking about our ailments!”
New recruits are always welcome – anyone wanting to know more can contact Jim on 07923 111738 or email [email protected]. For further details of Buxton Town Team activities, visit www.buxtontownteam.org.