Damolly Youth FC and McDonald’s tackle litter in Newry
Players from Damolly Youth FC recently joined with the McDonald’s Newry restaurant for a litter clean-up around the Fiveways roundabout.
The event formed part of a McDonald’s campaign aimed at tackling litter in parks, on paths and along roadsides in towns and cities across Northern Ireland.
The ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign saw McDonald’s employees undertake more than 30 local litter clean-ups in parks and nature areas throughout the 30 days of June. Led by the eight local franchisees across McDonald’s estate of 35 restaurants in Northern Ireland, they were supported by a range of local community groups, elected representatives and football clubs – including Damolly Youth FC.
John McCollum, Franchisee of the McDonald’s Newry restaurant, commented: “Our annual ‘30 Parks in 30 Days’ campaign reinforces McDonald’s strong commitment to tackling litter right across the UK and Ireland.
“Like our customers and stakeholders, we are always deeply disappointed to see people acting irresponsibly when it comes to littering. We want to play a leading role in sparking a change in behaviour towards what can only be described as a scourge on our environment.
“Across the UK and Ireland, our employees walk over 5,000 miles every week picking up all waste – our packaging and that of other retailers – by the sides of roads, in parks and on paths. This is further enhanced through proactive partnerships with local community groups and sports clubs, such as Damolly Youth FC, to keep our area clean and litter free by carrying out regular litter picks.”
Joanne Patterson, Youth Section Lead from Damolly Youth FC, welcomed the opportunity to partner with McDonald’s to tackle litter in Newry.
She said: “Our young Damolly FC players, club coaches and volunteers had a brilliant experience taking part in the recent McDonald’s community litter pick in Newry. It was a great opportunity to give back to the local area and work alongside our girls’ section sponsor to make a positive impact. The amount and variety of litter we came across was a real eye-opener – not just for the kids, but for the adults too.
“Since then, our players and volunteers have been spreading the word around the club about being more mindful of the waste we produce. We’re proud to be encouraging everyone (both on and off the pitch) to take better care of our environment for the good of our community and future generations.”