Bournemouth residents spruce up their neighbourhood (From Bournemouth Echo)

Bournemouth residents spruce up their neighbourhood

2:00pm Saturday 10th November 2012 in News By Arron Hendy

NEIGHBOURS have got together to try and spruce up an area of Bournemouth town centre.

Bart Angus-Hughes and friends have started brightening up the Triangle area by painting garden walls at the front of houses in Purbeck Road, off St Michael’s Road.

Bart said they decided to take action to try and encourage respect for the area.

He said: “A few of us got together and started a community project.

“We started by painting six or seven walls and have been working our way down the road and have done 11 walls now.”

The group has chosen the name The Triangle – Bournemouth, a Better Place.

The paint and tools for Purbeck Road is being generated by the residents so far and Bart is hoping to get more people involved to branch out across the Triangle.

Although they have had trouble tracking down some landlords he is pleased with their progress so far.

The area has recently seen other efforts to improve the area with the Poole Hill Neighbourhood Watch group increasing in numbers.

Bart, 51, lives in Purbeck Road and works in the construction industry.

He said: “We are trying to do something that will brighten the place up and change people’s perception of the area.

“And more people are getting interested in helping so it’s looking promising.”

The area had a setback last month when drugs and a gun were found at St Michael’s Hotel, close to Purbeck Road.

But Norman Decent, co-ordinator of Poole Hill Neighbourhood Watch, has seen more people getting involved with his meetings and is encouraged by Bart’s project.

“It’s good to see people making an effort in the area,” he said.

Bart’s group is looking to start fundraising to work in more roads in the area and anyone else who wants to help can email angus-hughes@hotmail.co.uk