Re: What a lovely Idea
 

Not sure why you've got a problem with this -

It gives the kids something to do (Huncoat is in a bit of a mess with youth problems).
It teaches them something creative and encourages them to think about litter instead of dropping more.
It was fun.
It tidies up the area (Huncoat is in a bit of a mess full stop).

I wouldn't have a problem with this whatsoever as long as the litter was cleaned which I'm pretty sure it would have been.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

Now theres a novel idea cleaned litter..........I wish I could start again, be about 21 yrs old and start a project, every looney idea I could think of then go to some council, oh lets say Hydnburn or Burnley and sell them on it, I would call it Art and make sure that, A . Kids were involved, B. It would prick a social conscience (litter, graffitti, race etc ) C. Let them know if they didn't do it someone else would making them look foolish. D. Charge the council (tax payers) an exorbanent amount, (we just can't do it on the cheap you know) E. Sit back and rack in the profits.
I would also think up a cool name for it like Rastafarian and Asian underwater Birthing Project, Notice keeping the main points intact, Kids, Social conscience etc. I would be a millionaire before I knew it.
There must be some kids out there who could get this done, tell them your a minority and need funds.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

But what harm is it actually doing?

Plus, I don't know for sure but I'll be that the Council haven't actually paid for it themselves but have got some funding from somewhere else to do it. I still can't see the problem.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

No problem at all Gayle. I suppose that you would also have no objection to opening up Whinney Hill tip as an adventure playground! Well, it keeps the little darlings off the streets.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

actualy that would be a good idea since so many kids these days enjoy smashing bottles and making a tip of the streets lol

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

I'm not saying that at all A-B - just saying I can't see a problem with this project. It seems pretty harmless, quite creative and not hurting anyone. I know you think I'm a woolly liberal sometimes but if we didn't have things like this think what the alternatives would be - kids messing around during school holidays, drinking, smoking, getting ASBOs etc. This is just a simple holiday fun project. Stop being so grumpy!

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

I do see a problem Gayle. It may wll be creative but I question whether it is harmless and it could quite possibly have hurt the children involved if what A-b said is correct.

Whether or not this litter was cleaned (and I can't help wondering how that would or could have been done) the children were actually encouraged to go around picking up filthy rubbish that had more than likely been wee'ed all over by cats and dogs, could have paper hankies full of goodness knows what germs amongst it, not to mention the danger of there being used syringes dumped by drug addicts and the very real danger of contracting AIDS. It wasn't sterile but filthy junk that the kids had been sent out onto the streets to pick up!?!

I don't know about other mums but I spent a lot of time when my children were younger telling them NOT to touch anything that had been dropped in the street and to leave such dirty things as "you don't know where that's been" and here they are being encouraged to collect the disgusting stuff and not only make clothing out of it but to actually wear it. They will now feel encouraged to go scavenging amongst other disgusting decaying filth and do the same thing in their own spare time. Not the healthiest of ways to find recreation.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

Who said anything about harm, who actually gives a ....... about whos going to participate, the thing is it is bloody stupid and no matter how much of a woolly liberal you are if you think this is good for kids then dress your kids in rubbish, cleaned of course, after they have been and picked it up off the streets of Huncoat and ask for thier reaction.
Of course the council paid, if they apply for funding they have to wait for it but the Arty Fartys who put it on need paying so pay and hope the funding arrives.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

The photographs in the Observer showed the rubbish looking fairly clean.

I don't see the problem here either, it apparently kept the children occupied and amused.

I once made a wedding dress out of white bin bags and it was featured on Granada television.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

think willow has a point,i brought mine up by saying (put that down you don,t know where its been)

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

It doesn't look like they were making sheath dresses out of used prophylactics or anything truly yukky, but things that could be safely cleaned and recycled, to be turned into something more creative.

If children are told never to touch 'dirty' littter, they will never pick anything up. I am always picking other people's rubbish up if I see a waste bin near by.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

Willow, I understand your concerns and I tell my kids not to pick up any old rubbish off the street but on this occasion they were picking up reusable items. I understand that some things might have germs on them but we're all capable of washing our hands after touching something nasty and I'm quite sure that hands were washed whilst the rubbish was being cleaned.

As for the money - funding is never given retrospectively so quite simply the project would not have been run if the money hadn't been received in the first place.

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

Anyone and I mean Anyone, that is stupid enough to encourage children to pick up rubbish off the street without wearing the appropriate Health and Safety clothing such as a thick pair of industrial gloves should be locked up and the key thrown away and they should never, ever be allowed near children again!

Why? I hear you ask, because you thick begger besides what dogs and cats can deposit on these items of rubbish the dibilitating diseases that can be spread to the little lovelies from the rats and mice that are common on our streets can be seen in this report:-

INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF MICE AND RATS

A little bit of dirt doesn't do children any harm but exposure to this
by so called caring adults just seems to be criminal to me and I ask no, beg such fools to keep
as far away from my younger relations as possible!

Re: What a lovely Idea
 

instead of giving criminals satelite tv etc maybe we could start the chain gang system like in american and let convics do all the crappy jobs

just a thought

not wanting to go off topic but there are much better candidtaes for doing dirty work

back on topic now

when i was a kid i once dropped a sweetie wrapper on the floor and was poked in the back and when i turned around it was a police man who told me to pick up my wrapper plus 10 more pieces of litter as a way of making it sink in that what i did was wrong

nowadays if a policeman was to do that he would be done for assault and endangering a child or somthing plus the endless amount of paperwork he would have to fill in just for simply stopping somone

i think its a good idea as long as the children are given safety gloves so they dont have to pick up trash with their bare hands

i dunno how to explain it propper but if kids work hard to tidy an area themselves they are less likely to want to see it messed up