Councillors from across Swindon spent Saturday 22 August 2026 cleaning up the town centre, Swindon Borough Council reported on Monday 24 August. More than 40 borough and parish councillors took part, working with council officers, South Swindon Parish Council and volunteers from Keep Swindon Tidy and Eastcott Community Clean Up.
What they did
- Crombey Street: volunteers, including Queen's Park ward councillors, cleared the alleyways off the street, taking away truckloads of litter and fly-tipped waste.
- Former Tented Market: two teams of councillors removed graffiti from the glazing around the building, and from the water fountain sculpture where Regent Street meets Canal Walk, using specialist cleaning wipes.
- Wharf Green: councillors sanded and varnished benches.
The session closed a week of volunteering under The Big Town Centre Clean-Up, which the council organised. Further volunteer sessions were due every weekday in the week that followed.
What councillors said
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Labour and Co-operative councillor for Queen's Park, said: "The alleyways off Crombey Street have been a concern for local residents for some time".
Councillor Lawrence Davies, Reform UK Swindon's shadow member for Waste and Streetscene, who helped at the Tented Market, said: "Residents are fed up with seeing graffiti, litter and neglect in our town centre."
Councillor Matthew Vallender, the Cabinet Member responsible for the town centre, said: "Saturday's session showed exactly what can be achieved when residents, community groups and elected members work together."
Source: Swindon Borough Council.