Sprucer Peter Phillips heads a team of up 20. They litter-pick, remove graffiti, clean road signs, cut back overgrowth, garden for the elderly and disabled, clear walkways and cycle paths and 101 other tasks aimed at improving the environment and raising civic pride. The work is complementary to and often outside the remit of services provided by the three tiers of local authority.
Additionally, the scheme delivers work experience for long-term job-seekers of all ages, offering a springboard to full-time employment. Moving directly from the Sprucer, 15 job-seekers found work between 2015 and 2017. The scheme boosts self-confidence, develops team spirit and buffs up CVs. Often arriving demoralised and uncertain, job-seekers invariably blossom because of work-satisfaction and the thanks of the public.
