MOPS and scrubbing brushes to the fore, members of Sid Vale Association need you to help with a marathon seat cleaning project in Sidmouth s The Byes.

MOPS and scrubbing brushes to the fore, members of Sid Vale Association need you to help with a marathon seat cleaning project in Sidmouth's The Byes.

Those aged between nine and 90 are being asked to arm themselves with buckets, brushes and rubber gloves to help with the great clean-up on Saturday, April 4, from 2-5pm.

The scheme was instigated by Phyllis Bennett, 87, of Temple Gardens, mother to SVA executive member Sylvia Brownlee.

Phyllis said: "One of the things letting Sidmouth down is its dirty seats. They are not too bad on the seafront but if they are under trees they get green algae and are awful things to sit on."

SVA chairman Handel Bennett said the project was a good way to get young and older people working together for the community.

"If there is a good turnout we might extend it to somewhere else in the town," he said.

He thought those who had donated benches in memory of a relative would be "delighted" with the clean-up campaign.

There are more than 50 benches in The Byes to clean, using water from the River Sid and elbow grease, and Sylvia will allocate them to teams of two or three volunteers when they meet by the Tollgate at 2pm in Salcombe Road.

Free refreshments and biscuits will be served to the cleaning team at the Guide headquarters as a reward for their hard work.

If you can help; and those under nine must bring an adult with them, Sylvia Brownlee has more information and can be contacted on (01395) 514011.