A GROUP that is aiming to create positive change is set to embark on a cleaning project and wants the public to tell them where needs it most.

BCP Bring Community Power met for the second time since its formation on Wednesday, February 28.

The group agreed on its aims and vision, as well as agreeing two action points before its next meeting in March.

Meeting organiser Simone Ippolito said it was ‘great’ to see more new faces joining the group as they clarified their aims.

“I think now it is crystal clear – we are here to change mindset, mentality and the tone of how we are doing things, which is going to be about positivity, proactiveness and trying to do things out of kindness and not to have something in return,” Simone said.

“With a subline of we all live here, we all care about where we live.

“You wouldn’t let your house go to trash without doing anything about it, so let’s start to do the things that we can do.”

Bournemouth Echo:

The group collectively voted for and agreed the two action points – culture and cleaning.

On the proposed cleaning project, Simone said: “We are going to pitch the five areas that we identified need more cleaning and ask the public to vote which we should go and clean.

“But not just clean, also enrich. Enrich meaning we can add perhaps some flowers to it, we can perhaps put a mural in certain areas, we can perhaps add some bins where they might be missing.

“So, we can create a sense of before and after, and how little it takes, and how many people it takes and how long it takes to do something as simple as that.”

He added: “Culture being we all have a responsibility to share this positive message now, allocate 10 minutes of time a day, to perhaps share a Bournemouth Echo positive story rather than a negative one, comment on a positive post rather than a negative one, talk to your friends about what we are doing.

“If I, as the initiator of this group, have to ask people to do it, I think we are failing. It needs to come from within.”

Alongside this, the issue of security was raised following the first meeting, with Simone reiterating the idea to ask security staff to volunteer time to help keep the town safe.

Simone said: “I’m very excited about it, I think there was a great buzz around the room in terms of discussion without arguing, which is very important.

“I think we’re going to keep on pushing on that and create more and more positivity around us, because positivity can be contagious, the same as negativity. It’s down to us to change that trend.”

To find out more about the group and to get involved, search 'BCP - Bring Community Power' on LinkedIn or Facebook.