Dover Rotary has been instrumental in tidying up the Kent coastal town.
In recent years, the club has organised litter picking at various sites in Dover, often with members from its daughter club, South Foreland Rotary.
One litter picking exercise on an estate in the town netted over 70 large full sacks of rubbish as well as many large items including a widescreen TV, a pushchair, children’s toys, vases, and chairs.
Last November, the Rotarians cut back and tidied the grounds of St Radigund’s Community Centre in one of the more deprived areas of Dover.
And, earlier this year, volunteers cut back overgrowth intruding on the pavement in Woolcomber Street near the town’s seafront.
We hope our endeavours will set examples for property owners to follow suit in a major effort to tidy up the town.”
More recently, the industrious Rotarians tackled two large areas in different parts of the town.
They cleared substantial overgrowth from a property on the corner of Frith Road and St Alphege Road in the town, to assist the care home situated on that corner.
They then undertook the enormous task of cutting back and removing overgrowth from the grounds of a Victorian terrace of large houses located just below Dover Castle. This was affecting the use of the pavement by pedestrians.
Working in wind, rain, hail and sunshine on a Saturday, Rotarians, including oldest member and nonagenarian, Terry Sutton MBE, transformed Castle Hill Road, which had long been neglected.
In addition to cutting back overgrowth to the top of the boundary wall, they used a hoe to cut out weeds at the bottom of the wall.
The volunteers then swept and used a power blower on the pavement to leave one of the cleanest streets in the Dover, while at the same time revealing the impressive boundary wall which had long been hidden by overgrowth.
In the process, the Rotarians also removed a sack load of cans, bottles and other containers exposed by the work.
Leaders of the working parties, Tony Cook Vice President of the Club and Peter Sherred Past President of the club, were both very satisfied with the outcomes of the club members’ endeavours at the various sites.
“The Castle Hill project was particularly challenging due to its length, the slope and the quantity of green waste to be removed,” said Peter.
“It was a necessary activity because this is a principal pedestrian route to Dover Castle for tourists and we are hoping the improvement will be appreciated by both local residents and tourists.
“Service activity is an important aspect of Rotary membership.”
Rotary Dover clean up the community
The work resulted in several Facebook posts thanking the Rotary club for tidying up the town.
“We hope our endeavours will set examples for property owners to follow suit in a major effort to tidy up the town.
“We also hope it will boost the morale of residents and appeal to tourists thinking of making Dover a destination or visiting from the large number of cruise ships that dock in the port annually,” added Tony.
“These transformative projects are just the latest in a long line of service achievements this long-established club has undertaken in its commitment to demonstrate the service ethic as having beneficial effects, both to its home community and beyond.”
