Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is asking children in the borough to draw upon their artistic skills and design a poster to encourage people to put their litter in the bin.

To mark the second year of its Keep Basingstoke and Deane Clean campaign, the borough council is appealing to its younger residents to come up with creative ideas to make people think twice about littering in the borough.

Anyone aged from four to 16 can contribute a poster idea and the winning entry in each of the four age categories will get to see their design turned into a poster and placed in the borough’s parks, play areas and open spaces.

The poster competition follows two weeks of litter-picking action in February, where community groups and volunteers across the borough joined forces to carry out tidy up events in their area.

Young people were also challenged to see who could bag the most litter in a fun activity organised by the council’s ranger team during half term in Basingstoke’s town centre.

Keeping the borough’s streets, parks, play areas and countryside clean and tidy is a key priority for the borough council. The Keep Basingstoke and Deane Clean campaign aims to encourage residents of all ages to play their part too by reducing litter and supporting the council to stamp out other antisocial acts like graffiti, dog fouling and fly-tipping.

This community spirit isn’t just limited to the two targeted weeks in February, with more volunteer-led picks being encouraged and already taking place throughout the year.

Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing Cllr Laura James said: “We have teams working across the borough to keep our streets clean and tidy but we can all do our bit to help to keep our communities looking their best.

“This competition, designed for our younger residents, asks them to think about the impact of littering and how they can encourage other people to put their rubbish in the bin or take it home with them. It is a chance for them to see their artwork out in our communities and know they are helping to make a big difference. I know they will rise to the challenge and I look forward to seeing their creative ideas.”

The poster competition is open to school aged children. Entrants should create their design on an A4 portrait piece of paper or print off the template from the borough council’s website. Entries must be received by midnight on Sunday 2 May and they can be posted to the council offices or scanned in and emailed to keepbdclean@basingstoke.gov.uk

Winning entrants from each category will see their design turned into a poster and placed around the borough for a year. They will also receive a litter picking kit for their school or community group.

Full information on the competition and the printable template can be found at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/keep-clean