A spectacular Sewa day saw 60 volunteers help make Redbridge a cleaner place.

Volunteers from Ilford Hindu Centre were joined by the Mayor of Redbridge Cllr Gurdial Bhamra whilst they cleared green spaces in South Woodford and Ilford, on Sunday.

Sewa means to give in the ancient language Sanskrit and is a day of giving to others and being selfless.

Cllr Bhamra planted a tree in Elmhurst Gardens, South Woodford, where he encouraged residents to be mindful of the environment.

He said: “I want to encourage people to be more environmentally friendly.

“Growing trees helps the environment and helps Redbridge’s image.”

Ravi Bhanot from Sewa Week, one of the organisers said “ The Sewa Team pick ed up over a truck load of rubbish from three parks and nearby streets .

“If this encourages volunteers and the public to dispos e of rubbish more responsibly the n the Sewa Day was a success.

“It is amazing how much rubbish accumulates - we found that a place becomes a hot spot for rubbish disposal if people see rubbish already there.”