Teams prepare to hit streets in tidying blitz

Hedland teams are mustering their members for this year’s Street Blitz Competition to make a clean sweep of the town’s street verges.

Team and event organiser Care For Hedland Environmental Association are in the final stages of preparation for the event which draws nearly 100 volunteers each year to compete for a trophy and the honour of being crowned “tidiest” street verge.

Care For Hedland chairperson Kelly Howlett said the blitz over two weekends, on June 23 and 30, is a good way to kickstart entry into the Statewide Tidy Towns Competition.

“It is hoped that this competition will have a domino-style effect in South Hedland,” she said.

“By having a team of complete strangers coming and tidying your street verge, it will prompt a response that will next time see the resident picking up that stray bottle or can that may be on the verge or whipper snipping that extra bit around their mailbox and taking pride in where they live.

“Potentially, as a flow-on, local schools will now tidy their verges and other neighbourhoods will get together and tidy up their street.”

Teams must have a minimum of five people and are able to use any equipment they may have at their disposal, modelled on the popular TV show Backyard Blitz.

One of this year’s celebrity judges, Tricia Hebbard, research officer at Minister Stephen Dawsons’ electorate office, said she was happy to be involved as a judge this year.

“As a previous participant in the blitz competition I will be looking for a good clean up of the streets and team bonding,” she said.

Bright yellow competition T-shirts are provided to all participating team members, free celebratory BBQ after the event and local celebrity judges will be used to judge all teams’ efforts.