Lismore locals are being invited to roll up their sleeves and show some love for the heart of town this weekend, with a community-led “Clean Up the CBD” set to take place as part of Clean Up Australia Day.

Running from 10am to 1pm this Sunday 1 March, the clean-up will focus on Keen Street and surrounding blocks, giving the city centre a visible refresh. The initiative has been organised by Scoops and Candy owner Felicity Hyde, who has rallied fellow business owners and secured support from Lismore City Council to help make it happen.

Standing outside her Keen Street store, Felicity said the motivation behind the event was simple, pride in her town and a desire to take action.

“We have a lot to be proud of in Lismore, and we are a great town, and it’ll be great if we can get together and do what we can to help clean up our wonderful CBD,” she said.

“Let’s give Lismore the love it deserves. Come along, grab a bag and a pair of gloves, do a blockie, and help get the town shining again. It’s super important we get behind causes like this.”

A short stroll around the CBD and back alleys prove exactly the work that is needed

From 10am, volunteers will meet out the front of Scoops and Candy before spreading out around the block.

“We’re just gonna do a blockie, hopefully both sides of the block if we get enough people coming,” Felicity said. “We love this town and we just wanna do something good.”

She said the rubbish she most often notices includes junk food wrappers, cigarette butts and general litter blown along the street.

“It’s such a shame,” she said. “Hopefully we can get it a bit more beautiful and people will come down and be proud of it.”

For Felicity, who balances running two businesses with raising three young children, the clean-up is about more than tidying footpaths, it’s about setting a tone.

“I know we’re all busy people. I’ve got three young children myself, and I’ve got two businesses, so I’m a very busy person,” she said. “But it’s three hours out of my day, and it’s just a little bit I can give back to the community. It’ll mean so much to people.”

She also acknowledged the timing of the event, which coincides with the anniversary of the 2022 floods, saying it was unintentional but meaningful in its own way.

“I really wanna be positive about Lismore and move forward,” she said. “Yes, the floods did happen. Yes, they may happen again, but how about we move forward and show people how wonderful our beautiful town is?”

When asked whether keeping the CBD clean was ultimately Council’s responsibility, Councillor Gianpiero Battista said Council has already taken formal steps to improve the city centre.

“We did pass a motion last year to beautify the CBD,” he said. “So we are implementing steps to do that.”

He pointed to new bollards being installed and works underway at the Molesworth Street crossing as part of broader efforts to lift the look and feel of the area.

“We’re trying as much as possible to make the CBD as good and as clean as possible because the last thing we want is a dead CBD where it’s not good for the businesses, it’s not good for the town,” he said. “We are putting a lot of effort in and there’ll be more in the future.”

Deputy Mayor Jeri Hall added that alongside regular street sweeping and maintenance schedules, Council is rolling out practical improvements.

“We are putting in new bins and dog watering stations and poop bags and stuff like that,” she said. “There are a few initiatives coming through just to ensure that CBD is clean and stays clean.”

But she said Sunday’s clean-up is about something more than routine maintenance, it’s about community pride.

“Felicity has done what good locals do, she’s stepped up and brought people with her,” she said.

“This is a simple way to make a real difference in a couple of hours. Whether you’re a business owner, a family, a student or a retiree, come along on Sunday and help give our town an extra bit of love.”

Last year, more than 800,000 volunteers took part across the country, the biggest Clean Up Australia Day ever.

Council crews will provide bags and gloves on the day and will remove and dispose of all collected waste afterwards. Participants are encouraged to wear enclosed shoes and bring a hat and water bottle.

Importantly, Felicity stressed the focus is on giving time, not money.

“You don’t have to donate. I just want people’s time,” she said. “If you can give an hour out of your day just to come down and help out, that’d be excellent.”

As Lismore continues to rebuild confidence and momentum in its CBD, Sunday’s clean-up offers something simple but powerful.