Swindon Borough Council partners with the Probation Service to support The Big Town Centre Clean-Up

Throughout August, people serving community sentences took part in The Big Town Centre Clean-Up, helping to improve Swindon town centre.

Delivered in partnership with the Probation Service, the initiative saw three Community Payback sessions take place in the town centre.

The Community Payback scheme enables people convicted of offences to complete unpaid work that benefits local communities as part of their sentence.

During the full-day sessions, groups of up to 10 participants, supervised by the Probation Service, carried out environmental improvement tasks, including the removal of graffiti from council-owned property in the town centre.

The Probation Service operates robust procedures to ensure Community Payback activities are carefully planned, managed and supervised, with the safety of participants and the public remaining a priority at all times.

The town centre sessions build on the Council's existing partnership with the Probation Service, through which Community Payback participants help maintain Whitworth Road Cemetery.

Following the completion of the clean-up activities, the Council and Probation Service will explore opportunities to expand the use of Community Payback projects across Swindon, enabling more people serving community sentences to make a positive contribution to the Borough while helping tackle issues such as graffiti and litter.