Who is Telford and Wrekin Street Champions Scheme run by?
The scheme is managed, funded and coordinated by Telford and Wrekin Council.
What do Street Champions do?
Street Champions are volunteers who play an active role in taking pride in their community. They care about their local area and want a clean, safe place to live.
There’s a range of things you can choose to do as a Street Champion and it is up to you to decide what you want to do in your local neighbourhood. The roles are broken down into three key areas.
- Doing
For example - litter picking, cutting back overhanging branches, pruning, maintaining community gardens, spraying dog poo with a bright coloured paint to encourage people to clear up after their pets, joining events run by your local Parish or Town Council or supporting community events. - Reporting
By keeping a regular eye on your local area you can help us identify local issues, so they can be dealt with as quickly as possible. - Projects
From time to time there may be opportunities for volunteers to take part in other environmental projects. This could include awareness raising campaigns or data collection for example.
Isn’t this the Council’s job?
The Council does maintain levels of cleanliness across the borough and we employ contractors to carry out a range of environmental duties throughout the year.
Street Champions help us complement this work at a more local level
Who can sign up to be a Telford Street Champion?
Anyone aged 16 or over who lives in the borough of Telford and Wrekin can join the scheme. Please note if you are aged 16 or 17 years will need to provide parental consent as part of your application.
What if I have a child that wants to be a Street Champion?
Due to safeguarding, we are unable to sign up anyone under the age of 16. However we do recognise there are many young people that have a keen interest in taking part so if a parent or guardian would like to sign up and take responsibility for supervising a young person in their care when out and about we can support you in that way. For more information please email pride.officer@telford.gov.uk.
What about insurance?
Volunteers working on behalf of the council will be treated the same as Telford & Wrekin Council employees for insurance purposes as long as they are working under the direction of the council. This means that as long as your activities are in line with what we’re recommending as part of the scheme, you will be covered by the Council’s insurance.
If you want to do anything in your role as a Street Champion that you are not sure about, you can always get in touch with us for advice and guidance. More formal community groups should have their own public liability insurance, and we can advise you on how to go about getting that.
Is there a time commitment?
There is no time commitment to being a Street Champion, you can do as little or as much as you like.
What area do I have to cover?
You can cover any area you please! You can carry out your Street Champion duties on your own street, housing estate or any public area within Telford and Wrekin.
Does becoming a Street Champion affect my benefits?
Volunteering for this scheme should not affect your right to benefits. However if you are unsure, it is always advisable to discuss this with your benefits adviser before you start volunteering.
How do I apply to become a Street Champion?
Complete our online form to apply to become a Street Champion
Alternatively if you don’t have online access please telephone 01952 380455.
What equipment do I get when I sign up to the scheme?
When a Street Champion is first signed up you will be provided with a high visibility vest, gloves, litter picker, hoop and blue and clear bags to support you in your role.
Where do I request replacement equipment from, including bags?
To help us to gather equipment in good time, please try to give at least 5 working days’ notice for equipment requests. We will then arrange a collection or delivery with you as soon as possible.
Alternatively if you can’t access the online form, please email pride.officer@telford.gov.uk or call 01952 380455.
Please note, due to the large number of equipment requests we receive, it is not always possible to hand deliver items. We therefore ask, if you are able, to collect items from Council offices located in the town centre. Once we receive a request, we will get in touch with you to arrange the collection.
If you are not able to collect equipment from our offices due to work or other commitments, or other difficulties, please let us know on the equipment request so that we can make alternative arrangements with you.
Can I use normal black waste bags to dispose of any rubbish I collect?
As a Street Champion you will be provided with strong blue refuse sacks and clear bags for cans, glass and plastic (so this can be recycled). These are used so that our contractors Idverde recognise them as Street Champion bags and not fly tipped waste.
What are the arrangements for collecting bags of rubbish in your Street Champion role?
This will depend on the amount of bags you have for collection.
- For any amount under 6 bags – you can either leave them by a public bin for collection by our contractors or you can dispose of non-recyclable litter in your own red top bin and the clear bag contents (recyclable items such as cans, glass and plastic) can be put into your purple bin. However, if you notice a large amount of bags building up around a public bin please email us at pride.officer@telford.gov.uk so we can organise to get them removed.
- For 6 bags or more – please leave at an identifiable location where they can be easily accessed and are not causing any obstructions. Please then email us at pride.officer@telford.gov.uk so that a collection can be arranged.
What rubbish goes into each bag?
We provide our Street Champions with two different coloured bags to separate the collected rubbish into. The blue bag is for general waste and the clear bag is for cans, glass and plastic which can be recycled. This is the same material that you put in your purple top bin at home. These are some examples of the kind of things you can put into each bag:
- Clear bag – Recyclable items such as Aerosols, plastic bottles, cans, tins, glass bottles, jars etc.
- Blue bag – General waste that we cannot recycle such as polystyrene, plastic film, crisp packets, plastic bags, tissues and so on.
How do I report environmental issues, such as fly tipping, graffiti etc.?
All environmental issues should be reported via My Telford so they can be recorded and monitored in the right way. We can then target any particular hot spots if needed.
Register for a My Telford account Log in to the My Telford portal
To assist with this, all fly-tipping should be left where found – please do not try to move it or place it by a public bin.
Please note collections are managed on a priority basis. Some collections may take longer than others. If you have a My Telford account you can track progress with your request that way.
What about abandoned trolleys?
The majority of supermarket trolleys are collected by Trolleywise as this is not the Council’s responsibility. In the first instance we request that you contact them directly if you can. You can do this by downloading the Trolleywise app from your mobile device. If this is not possible, you can report them via My Telford, under the ‘Report It’ section and the Council will follow up on your behalf.
Please note when reporting a trolley on the app, there is a drop-down list of all supermarkets and stores they will collect for. If the supermarket you are trying to report is not listed, please report via My Telford for the council to follow up on your behalf.
What do I do if there is a dog fouling issue?
We hand out thousands and thousands of poop scoop bags free of charge each year, to help encourage dog owners and walkers to clean up after their pets. View information about the location outlets for free poop scoop bags.
Complete our online form to report a dog fouling incident
As a Street Champion you can also request environmentally friendly spray paint to use in your role (subject to availability) – to highlight any dog fouling issues you are aware of. This will make it easier for our contractors to see when out and about cleaning up. It also has the effect of encouraging dog owners to clean up after their pet.
From time to time the council also organises campaigns to raise awareness about the issue of dog fouling. For further information please email pride.officer@telford.gov.uk.
What do I do if I see someone committing an offence or littering?
Your safety is very important to us. Under no circumstance should you confront or challenge anyone about their behaviour when acting as a Street Champion.
Instead, discreetly make a note of what has happened and report in the usual way so the council can follow it up. If this involves a vehicle, please where possible make a note of the registration. If you are concerned that a situation is getting out of hand, please step away from the situation and contact all relevant parties e.g. the council, the police etc.
How can I put forward an idea or suggestion for the Street Champion scheme?
We always welcome suggestions and ideas. Please get in contact by emailing us at pride.officer@telford.gov.uk to discuss further. As this is a council run scheme any final decision will need to be made by the council.
Can I put my own posters up?
Unfortunately this is classed as fly-posting and is illegal. If you want to discuss this please email us at pride.officer@telford.gov.uk.
What if someone else in my street wants to become a Street Champion?
If there is more than one Street Champion in a street, you can spread the work between you. You’ll probably each have different skills and strengths, so if you work together you’ll be able to achieve more. If you know of someone who is interested please refer them to www.telford.gov.uk/streetchampions to sign up or contact pride.officer@telford.gov.uk for more information.
How can I get in touch with other Street Champions in Telford and Wrekin?
The Council has created a Street Champions Chat Group on Facebook. The Council are the administrators of this site and it is monitored regularly. The idea of this chat group is to help local street champions connect with one another, share ideas and keep one another informed. It is not a requirement that all Street Champions become a member of this group – this is voluntary should they wish to do so.
- What is the Street Champions Facebook page for?
The Street Champions Facebook page is a way for the Council to promote the Street Champion scheme to anyone that is interested. We use it to highlight the fantastic work of our Street Champions and to share messages and promotions. Any user of Facebook can follow this page for general information
Please note: this is not the channel to use to request equipment, report issues or request bag collections. Please use My Telford or email pride.officer@telford.gov.uk to do this in the agreed way.
- How do I promote an organised litter picking event on the Facebook or Chat group page?
The council, as administrators of the Facebook and chat group pages will be happy to promote an event you are organising on behalf of Street Champions, providing it has been organised in the right way, a suitable risk assessment is in place and latest COVID-19 guidelines are being followed to make sure participants remain safe at all times. Please email pride.officer@telford.gov.uk with details of your event and we will get in touch to help you.
If I have any general questions or require support in my Street Champion role, who do I contact?
If you have any questions please contact the Street Champion Coordinator by email pride.officer@telford.gov.uk.
Last updated: 14/12/2022 12:58
Libraries on Facebook
Libraries on Twitter