Our 'InMy Own Backyard' sessions are our members chance to nominate their own street/neighbourhood for a clean up. Our first session this year was in Wavertree, where there is a huge litter problem but a bunch of local neighbours who work hard through the year to improve the area. For this session we joined a couple of neighbours to focus on a selection of streets that nestle between two main roads and a railway line.

Splitting into three teams of two we walked the streets clearing up litter as we went, and collecting a hefty 12 bags, including all the usual items of cans, alcohol and pop bottles, fast food packaging and plies of cigarette butts that has clearly been emptied out of people's cars onto the street.

It was shocking to see how much litter there was in a few quiet residential streets, but also really inspiring to see the work the local residents are doing to make a community garden in large planters and we were treated to a tour of one of the allyways projects, with benches and community composting included!

It's easy to look at an area covered in litter and make a judgment, but if you scratch the surface and meet the people who live there, you usually find fabulous things going on!

This session was a great collaboration between the local neighbours group with Becky and Vanessa, GoodGym Liverpool and the amazing Vicky who is not only a GoodGym member, but also runs a volunteer group called Litter Clear Volunteer