Ord Road is looking a lot cleaner and brighter after a group of residents took the initiative to get rid of the trash and debris in their neighbourhood.

More than 30 people took part in the cleanup effort last Saturday which collected about 150 bags of garbage.

The residents were so pleased with the results that they vowed to get together in two weeks time, December 5, to clear the trash off of Tribe Road 5.

And some attributed the enthusiastic response to a sense of empowerment adopted by many members of the community following the November 9 election.

Government MP Ottiwell Simmons, an area resident who happened to drive past the cleanup area, stated: "I had to fight tears because of the emotions engendered through seeing what they were doing.'' "I'm so happy to see people with that kind of pride, taking an interest in their surroundings,'' he said.

"I just couldn't believe it...some of them came up to me and said `this is a new Bermuda, this is a new Government, and we've got a new attitude'.

"I hope it follows through. They deserve a lot of credit, and we should send thanks to them.'' Clarence Nicky Saunders, a Cherry Hill Park resident and participant in the cleanup, said he was shocked to come home from school and discover how "filthy'' the area had become.

Although there had been neighbourhood cleanups in the past, Mr. Saunders and Paget Community Club Football manager Johnny Battersbee decided to try to get the area spruced up prior to the holiday season.

They solicited help from the men who gathered in the area after work -- most of whom admitted they had played a part in contributing to the mess, but who also agreed to take ownership of the neighbourhood and help clean it up.

"Ord Road has a stigma of being a street where various negative things are going on...when people drive by, they assume that (the people in the area) don't care about anyone but themselves, that they're not working, that they're not motivated,'' said Mr. Saunders.

"But most of the guys are working nine to five...Paget Community Club doesn't have a club house, and so it's really like a meeting place.'' Mr. Saunders said the cleanup began at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday and finished when the sun set -- and the accomplishment helped foster a sense of pride among the participants.

"The sheer volume of garbage was unbelievable -- there were times we stopped and said `this is disgusting'.

"But you could see the pride in people walking around, hugging each other, and giving each other fists.

"Afterward, we bought fish and Jamaican Grill cooked it free of charge...someone got some music, some guys were playing cards -- it was like Cup Match,'' he added.

"With the election and the change of Government, you can see the change in people -- there's a new sense of pride from people who felt disenfranchised,'' he said.

"Now, as a people, we have to do more than take what's given to us. Now I've seen people willing to put their foot forward and take a chance...it's the dawning of a new day.

"But it's a two-sided coin, and I tell these guys to remember you've got to wake up as early as the legislators do.'' The cleanup happily coincided with a presentation at Paget Primary school of a $50,000 donation for a new playground by LaSalle Re.

Paget Primary principal Wendell Smith said he was "taken aback to find these guys knee-deep in cleaning up trash'' on the Saturday afternoon -- and decided to pitch in himself.

Richard Powell, owner/manager of Lines Food and Liquor Mart on Ord Road, said he was "overjoyed'' to see the work that had been done.

"I happened to go past and I saw them cleaning up -- I was overjoyed, I was really happy to see it,'' he said.