A GROUP of mums in Chipping Sodbury are giving up their mother’s day to clean the town’s common in a national drive to tidy up neighbourhoods ahead of The Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations.

The spring clean will take place on Mothering Sunday, March 6 (10am) during the national Clean for The Queen weekend.

Spearheaded by Sarah Todd, vice-chairman of the Chipping Sodbury Big Lunch committee, the clean-up operation will see a willing group of volunteers, mainly mums with children at St John’s Mead Primary School, collect litter left on the common.

Sarah, whose six-year-old son Olly will also help on the day, runs on the common twice and week and has become increasingly frustrated at the amount of rubbish left strewn across the fields.

“People must drive up there with their takeaway McDonalds and chuck it all out the car windows,” said Sarah, of Couzens Close.

“There is also fly-tipping up there, I have seen on occasion a full leather three-piece suite.

“The amount of litter is outrageous and these selfish idiots really annoy me.”

Rather than complain about the problem, however, Sarah simply decided to organise her own cleaning event.

“I was thinking of arranging a team of people to clean the common and then coincidentally heard about the Clean for The Queen event,” she said.

“It all seemed to tie in, especially as our Big Lunch theme this year is The Queen’s 90th birthday.”

The idea of the Clean for The Queen weekend is to encourage communities including schools, businesses and councils to make their towns and villages look their best before Her Majesty’s 90th birthday is officially marked in June. Buckingham Palace is expecting a rise in the number of street parties to be held this year to celebrate The Queen’s milestone birthday and the clean-up weekend is being billed as a good way to prepare for the festivities.

The Sodbury Common clean will also include a rubbish collection along the River Frome on St John’s Way. South Gloucestershire Council has lent the group equipment and the event has the backing of the Conservators of Sodbury Commons. All are welcome to join in, meet at the entrance to Sodbury Common on Sunday, March 6th (10am).

The Chipping Sodbury Big Lunch will take place on Sunday, June 5 (12-6pm) and will mark The Queen’s 90th birthday. Entertainment is still to be confirmed, see Chipping Sodbury Big Lunch on Facebook for further details.