Litter pickers have been hailed after helping to spruce up their area

Residents in Horden have been joined by Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner Ron Hogg for a community litter-pick in Horden.

The clean-up was organised by Horden Helping Hands, a group of local volunteers who are committed to improving the area where they live.

The group’s creator and co-ordinator of events, Darren Meadows, said: “As well as helping to tidy the area, the group provides a great chance to meet some new friends, have fun and put something back into the community.”

Durham County Council representative for the village, Coun June Clark added: “It’s a pleasure to be a volunteer, with such a great mix of residents and support community activities like this.

“The event continues the good work recently done by the police, working with multi-agency teams in Horden, and it’s really important that this continues.”

A number of young people from the Horden Young Citizens project were helping out. They are young people, aged 7-13 years, and they focus on social integration, community cohesion and the environment.

Mr Hogg has shown his support for the Horden community recently and has has encouraged joint-working between Durham Constabulary, Durham County Council, Horden Parish Council and Durhamand darlington Fire and Rescue Service to deliver a range of measures to improve community safety, and the local environment.

The group says that over the past year or so, significant improvements have been made to the numbered streets in Horden.

These have included sealing uninhabited buildings, pest-reduction measures, removing fly-tipped waste and capping unsealed drains.

Mr Hogg said: “There’s a really great, active community in Horden. The village has faced more than its fair share of challenges since the pit closed in 1987.

“The only way to address those is for service providers and local people to work together.”