Newquay Takes Action: Kier and Love Newquay team up to kick-start graffiti removal

In a determined effort to combat graffiti in Newquay, construction company Kier has joined forces with Love Newquay, powered by Newquay Business Improvement District (BID), and the Brandon Trust.

This collaboration marks the beginning of a town centre clean-up campaign focused on removing unsightly graffiti. Volunteers from all three organisations gathered at the Tram Tracks area, armed with rollers, to tackle the graffiti problem head-on.

The Power of Partnership

The partnership was sparked at a school engagement event at Treviglas Academy in Newquay. Mark Warren, the manager of Love Newquay/Newquay BID, met a representative from Kier during a discussion about the BID’s objective of creating a “Cleaner, Greener, Safer” environment. This conversation led to the realisation that Kier, who supports community projects nationwide, could provide valuable support to Newquay’s graffiti clean-up efforts. The project officially launched at the end of May with an enthusiastic response from Kier’s team.

The Challenge of Graffiti on Private Property

Graffiti on Cornwall Council property is handled by the council itself, but the responsibility for cleaning graffiti on private property falls on the landowners. To address this, Newquay BID is mobilising a community team to tackle graffiti across the town. According to Safer Cornwall, promptly removing graffiti from private property serves as both a deterrent and a solution to prevent further vandalism. Cornwall Council notes that unattended graffiti can encourage more graffiti, rubbish dumping, and anti-social behaviour.

Community Call to Action

Mark Warren expressed the widespread concern about graffiti in Newquay, highlighting that this is not just a local issue but a nationwide problem. He emphasised the importance of community involvement in tackling graffiti, stating, “We hear a lot from both businesses and the public about the graffiti in Newquay. This isn’t only a local issue, it’s nationwide in towns. I believe that we are so passionate about this and if like-minded individuals want to tackle this we can get together and have that conversation. There are a lot more of us against graffiti than those doing it. If people are as passionate as we know people are we can tackle this and show a clear message that this isn’t welcome in our town! Anybody with a real desire to display their artistic skills, get in touch and we can point you in the right direction.”

Positive Community Impact

Doug Lloyd, regional director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, expressed Kier’s commitment to making a positive impact on the communities they work in. He said, “Making a positive impact on the communities we work in is at the heart of our values, so we were thrilled to team up with Brandon and Love Newquay on this graffiti clean-up project. It was fantastic to see everyone working together, actively working to improve the local community.”

How to Get Involved

Love Newquay is collecting information about graffiti in the town to continue the project. Anyone interested in joining the effort can contact info@newquaybid.co.uk to register their interest.

By working together, the Newquay community is sending a clear message: graffiti is not welcome here.