Would you clean up your own town for free? No payment offered. Children especially welcome. You might be lucky enough to win a prize at the end (tube of Smarties?) and you definitely get a certificate. (Maybe someone who was there can tell me what the prize was.)

Amersham Town council targeted young people for this work. Youth groups like Brownies as well as junior schools were sent posters so they were expecting community-minded youngsters to volunteer.

Am I being stupidly naive in thinking we pay staff to do this? I can almost hear some bloated, Bounderby-type council staff member chuckling mockingly at the notion.

”As long as they put the word ‘community’ in front of the request, can they get us to do anything for free?”

I just wonder whether we should be clearing up rubbish for our councils. How nice for those who leave it. ‘Ah, I’ll leave my beer can/fag end/chewing gum in this pretty field; Mike, my friendly neighbour and his kids’ll clear it up.’

Will they be sending out leaflets requesting help cleaning the toilets at council offices? Or pruning the town’s shrubs? Or answering the phone?

As long as they put the word ‘community’ in front of the request, can they get us to do anything for free? ‘Community services cleansing’, ‘Community open spaces day’ ‘Community policing’...

That’s it. I’ve finished. If anyone was there (you could either clean rubbish or attend the London Marathon I suppose...) please feel free to report back and disagree violently with my tirade.