Last week, our teams came together across the UK for our first NJC Community Clean, supporting Keep Britain Tidy.
Across five days, colleagues were out in local communities, getting involved in organised clean-up activity and supporting the spaces we work in every day.
By the end of the week, a total of 45kg of waste had been collected across five locations.
Our teams were active across:
7kg collected in Reading, 4kg in Oxford
9 bags collected,
~6,000 steps
11kg collected
14 bags collected, ~7,000 steps
9kg collected
8 bags collected,
~6,000 steps
9kg collected
9 bags collected,
~6,500 steps
5kg collected
7 bags collected,
~6,500 steps
The Community Clean brought together heads of department and their teams from across the business, including Reuben Heppelthwaite, Mark Heppelthwaite, Mark Robinson, Peter Joyce, Vasile Balan, Gary Duplock, Laura Brookes and Paul Stone.
Activity across the week was also supported by members of the Helix team, including Carole Dowd and Maja Slota, alongside John and James Makanjuola (the Maka Twins), who joined the London clean.
Across the week, teams worked through busy public areas, walkways and city centres, covering significant ground and supporting the spaces people use every day.
Attention to detail, consistency, and taking pride in the spaces we’re responsible for are central to how NJC operates. The Community Clean simply took that approach into the wider community.
There were also a few moments that stood out. From the volume of cigarette waste collected across multiple locations to unexpected finds like a hanging basket in Manchester, the week gave a clear picture of the challenges faced in maintaining public spaces.
The spaces we cleaned sit alongside the environments we maintain for our clients.
They’re used daily by residents, workers and the wider public, and they directly influence how those environments are experienced.
Taking responsibility beyond the immediate space reflects how we approach our work, contributing to the wider environment around it and not just delivering a service.
We see this as something to build on.
Next year, we’ll be looking at how we can expand the initiative, increase participation, and continue supporting the communities we work in. – Reach out if you have any suggestions for next year's clean, or if you’d like to get involved.
Thank you to everyone involved across the week for getting stuck in and supporting the initiative.
And to Helix and the Maka Twins for supporting the activity across the week.