THE next big clean-up of Oldham’s Glodwick area will take place on Sunday (May 27).

A drive to combat the litter and refuse problem in the area has been led by the Ghazali Trust and the Horton Mill Chai Ladies Project from Horton Mill Community Primary School, which serves the area.

The #cleanglodwick initiative was spearheaded by Steph Eckhardst, a converted Muslim, also known as Zulaykha.

Children at the school and other schools have created poster which have been put around the community and the Ghazali Trust working with Oldham Council have sourced equipment for “street champions” to co-ordinate the fortnightly tidy ups.

Ms Eckhardst is an Oldham teacher who has been off work for six months to receive treatment for breast cancer.

“The idea is that the women in the community would be encouraged to take responsibility for picking up litter near the school,” she said.

“We are trying to get people to take responsibility for the front and back of their own homes. But on the walk to Horton Mill School there are no houses, so no-one was doing it.

“We’ve been out as women’s groups picking up litter, and it’s really motivating people to clean up their streets.”

The campaign is being supported by Horton Mill, Alexandra Park Junior and Greenhill and Greenhill Academy where children have designed posters to be displayed in the area to encourage people to take their litter home.