A COMMUNITY has united to restore walls hit by a spate of graffiti.

After a wall was defaced by the unsightly graffiti in Sandylands, the area’s Residents’ Association teamed up with PCSO Kathryn Taylor and the probationary service team to restore the damage.

And they were delighted when the town’s B&Q store backed their efforts by supplying the paint required for the job on the wall, which borders a BT depot.

“This has been a great team effort which as mentioned includes our residents, councillors, PCSO with probationary team and indeed B&Q to bring this area back to an area people expect within our community,” said Sandylands Residents’ Association chairman Cllr Adam Edwards.

He offered special thanks to B&Q employee and Sandylands resident Christine Marsden for her work in helping to arrange the supply of the paint.

The project was done in conjunction with The Westmorland Gazette’s Big Clean campaign, an appeal run in collaboration with The Mail.

It aims to encourage local communities to take pride in the areas where they live.

The area has also been boosted by the planting of a number of cherry blossom trees on the park at Sandylands, which have been supplied and placed in position by South Lakeland District Council as part of a wider initiative in which trees have also been planted in several other locations across the area.

Hawkshead Brownies also did their part for the community and launched their own litter pick around the central Lakeland village.

The girls said they were amazed to have found socks and other items of clothing as well as a lot of wet wipes.

The Big Clean appeal is sponsored by Kimberly Clark and Spirit Energy, and it calls on schools, community groups, resident associations and businesses to do what they can to clear up any litter-strewn patch of lands in the south Cumbria, Eden and north Lancashire areas.

The campaign is highlighting those selfless people who take the time to clean up parts of the district.

It might be an area of parkland, an untidy roadside verge or just a bit of rough ground that would benefit from some TLC and a good tidy-up.

Anyone who would like to organise a litter pick or has already done one can email celia.powell@newsquest.co.uk