Mark joined local residents from Kidderminster's Spennells on Saturday to clean up around the shops in a getting together organised by local community activist Ian Siddall. "Sadly," said Mark, "I could only stay for a short while, but I was delighted to see so many people getting together to clean up the neighbourhood.
"Of course, the local council do a perfectly OK job keeping our streets clean, but these tidy-ups are about more than just picking up litter. They are about setting an example to us all that we all have a responsibility to keep our streets clean. And if people aren't persuaded by the strong argument that we all want to live in a clean and safe environment, then they ought to think hard about the fact that throwing litter on the streets uses up taxpayers' money to clean it up - money that could be better spent elsewhere."
Mark also commented on other matters there. "Spennells is a nice neighbourhood and generally speaking in good order. But there is some evidence of antisocial behaviour and it was disappointing to see the post box had been scrawled over. But if we all try to set an example, this will get less and less."