Pair clean road signs to show pride in community

TWO men have been cleaning dirty road signs in Wargrave and Charvil.

Stuart Hooper and Andy Croy say they do it in order to make a difference to their communities.

The volunteers carried out the work last month in their spare time.

So far, they have cleaned more than 20 signs in the villages, including from the Piggott School in Wargrave up to the roundabout near the A4, along Park Lane in Charvil, and the ‘Welcome to Charvil’ signs.

Mr Croy, an accountant and a borough councillor, started cleaning signs in the wider area two years ago and is often helped by other volunteers.

He has cleaned information signs, school “slow down” signs and speed limit signs as well as dirty bus stops.

Mr Croy, 59, from Wokingham, said: “If it’s a particularly grotty sign, we’ve literally gone out with a mop and some water and washed it down.

“Once you start doing this, you notice more and more.

“I know lots of people find dirty signs really annoying so we thought we could do this and make people feel a bit better. To me, it’s about making the place I live look nicer. People do care about the area they live in and are frustrated when the area isn’t reflected well by the state of public furniture.”

The pair use just water and a brush on a pole to clean the signs and do not use cleaning fluids.

Mr Croy said: “You don’t need them because the signs are generally very smooth metal or plastic. You brush the algae and dirt build-up very gently and keep adding water.”

He represents Bulmershe and Whitegates for Labour on Wokingham Borough Council and hopes his good deed will encourage others.

Mr Croy: “When we’ve cleaned the speed signs, we’ve realised it can make drivers more aware because they can see them better.

“If you have a dirty sign, it sends a message that we don’t care about the speed limit around here.

“The worst sign we cleaned was the advanced warning sign by the Piggott School — that was terrible.

“It’s basically pollen and the algae that grows on that and I suspect there’s also a bit of dust.”

Mr Hooper, 37, a government consultant from Ruscombe, said he enjoyed making a visible difference.

He said: “It was clearly a job that needed doing and it was something I knew I could do. It’s also good to help out other parishes. It’s a nice way to spend my free time and energy. The council can’t necessarily afford to do everything but people want clean signage.

“It’s really satisfying looking at your work afterwards and seeing the difference you’ve made, especially when they’re really grubby.

“It’s nice to have a sense of community because I predominantly work from home. It’s really rewarding to help out in general.

“The latest session took us about two-and-a-half hours but I could have happily carried on doing that all day.

“It’s really satisfying looking at your work afterwards and seeing the difference that you’ve made.”

The volunteers have also cleaned signs in Twyford and other nearby villages.

Meanwhile, a “big tidy up” will be held in Charvil on Sunday, March 23. Volunteers are invited to meet at the Margaret Gimblett Pavilion at 2pm where litter pickers and rubbish bags will be provided.

The event has been organised by the village’s borough councillor Sam Akhtar and his partner, Tasmin Morgan.

Cllr Ahktar said: “It’s a great chance to help keep Charvil looking its best. Last year, the councillors and volunteers collected more than 20 bags of rubbish.”

When they have finished, the helpers will be provided with a cup of tea at the pavilion.