Job centre employees help clean up Arnold’s Bequest
Tara Carlton, Mandy Coleman, Tracey Eastwood, Bryan Rawstron, Finn Mehigan, Andy Peck, Sarah Moir, and Jon Wedon. Picture: Conor Matchett - Credit: Archant
A group of job centre workers helped clean up one of Lowestoft's hidden gems.
Eight people from Lowestoft Jobcentre descended on Arnold's Bequest – between Whapload Road and the High Street – to clear the area of rubbish and overgrown plants.
The work was part of the Department for Work and Pensions' Community 10,000 project where DWP employees take time away from their desks to give something back to the community.
Among the items found in the area during the clean up on Tuesday were a fire extinguisher, a bike, broken up shelving, a health and safety notice from a building site, and a DVD player.
Tara Carlton, a Lowestoft town councillor who works at the job centre, said: 'It is absolutely shocking to see how much rubbish was at the top considering you can't get up there.
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'There are crisp packets, cones, bike wheels, car tyres, a health and safety noticeboard has come out of there too.
'It is absolutely shocking that such a beautiful place can be absolutely trashed because people just don't want to put their rubbish in the bin.'
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Tracey Eastwood, who is also a councillor and works for the DWP, said: 'It struck a chord with me that a father would leave a patch of land in memory of his son. I thought that was such a lovely thing to do.
'When the town council first took it over I volunteered to take it on as a project and plant bluebells and daffodils to keep it nice.
'For now, let's get it clear, get most of the rubbish out of the way so people do actually notice the difference.'
Jon Wedon, team leader of the group, said: 'We do a lot of local projects and this is a project close to Tracey's heart that we have got involved in.
'We have come out today as part of DWP's Community 10,000 to come and do this project, and what we get to do is something good for the community and make Lowestoft a nice place.'
Arnold's Bequest was transferred to Lowestoft Town Council from Waveney District Council when the authority was created.