Welcome to the church of the litter day saints

Jun 30 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

UP TO 1,000 Mormons will unite today for a blitz on sprucing up Liverpool.

The army of volunteers from Mormon centres in Liverpool, Southport, Warrington, St Helens, Crosby and Wigan have pledged to work throughout the day to help the council transform parts of the city ready for Liverpool’s 800th birthday celebrations.

The day of service has been organised to mark international day of volunteering, Helping Hands, but members of The Church of Latter-Day Saints said this event was also to mark Liverpool’s anniversary and the 170th anniversary of the first American Mormons arriving in England at Liverpool docks.

The volunteers will work to clean up public areas in the including hospitals, parks, civic buildings and paths; 13 projects have been organised which will permanently improve the city. Regional church leader President David Hoare, said: “This is a special year for the city and a special year for us.

“It is 170 years since the first missionaries arrived in Liverpool. Liverpool has always been good to us.

“It is a great place to live and we want to give something back.

“While the council does a lot of work in terms of things like the Big Dig, they have told us that they need help with smaller projects which will help get the city ready for its birthday and just enhance it as a place to live and visit.

“We didn’t want to just go litter picking as this is only a temporary improvement. We wanted to take on projects that could be completed in a day but that would have long-lasting benefits for Liverpool.

“We hope up to 1,000 members of the church will join us but it is a case of the more the merrier.

“If people see us all congregated at Camden Street car park in our white tabards they are more than welcome to join in for as long as they want to.

“It is a real family event and children will be working alongside their parents.

“This is just a great opportunity for us as a Christian church and as families to come and clean and paint some key areas in the city as we celebrate Liverpool’s 800th birthday and prepare for the Capital of Culture.”

Last year, members of the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints gave more than 100,000 hours of voluntary service on Helping Hands Day, which was launched three years ago. Cllr Martin Fielding, Liverpool’s executive member for Neighbour- hood Services, said the offer of help was gratefully received.

He said: “Helping clean up the city as it celebrates its 800th birthday is a wonderful gesture.

“Staff from our neighbourhood management teams will be directing the work which will include litter picking, planting, painting, decorating and also shifting tons of top soil and generally tidying up areas and old buildings.”

The day will start with a briefing at 9.30am at Camden Street car park, off London Road, where volunteers can register and pick up their white tabard. They will then be assigned to different projects based on their age, ability and time available.

carolineinnes