CLEAN up days and community meals are taking place to celebrate a housing association's 10th birthday.

In November Greenfield Community Housing would have been working with residents for a decade.

The association is holding 10 community-based events across the district this year.

They involve gardening in Braintree and Halstead, community meals in Hatfield Peverel and Witham, a Halstead bake-off and family events in Braintree and Witham.

Each event aims to encourage neighbours to build good relationships with each other.

The first Make A Difference Day was on May 3 at flats in Rifle Hill, Braintree.

Residents had the opportunity to spruce up the outside communal area.

Barry Eastall, who lives in one of the flats, said: “I look after the garden all year round but there are some things I can’t do due to a heart condition, so it’s great working with Greenfields to cut the grass around the path and generally tidy the area up."

Arron Samson, Greenfields’ neighbourhood manager, is keen that each event improves the lives of residents.

He said: “Each event gives us the chance to support our residents in a variety of ways – be it to tidy their gardens, have a good clear-out, get to know their neighbours or just keep their children busy in the holidays.

"We also want to draw attention to all the services we and our partners offer, so they know that we’re there when they need us.”

The next Make a Difference Day will be a clean-up event in partnership with Essex Fire and Rescue Service in Holmes Road, Halstead on May 19.