McDonald's staff help clean up the Prom ahead of Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On and Ride the Lights events

McDonald’s volunteers in Blackpool rolled up their sleeves to take part in a community litter pick ahead of the annual Ride the Lights event.

The initiative brought together McDonald’s crew members from across Blackpool who worked together to help raise money for Ronald McDonald House.

On September 1, 15 crew members from South Shore, Rigby Road, Squires Gate, Bank Hey Street and Cherry Tree Road restaurants, owned and operated by local McDonald’s Franchisee Nigel Dunnington, collected an impressive eight bags of rubbish, covering five miles and raising £150 for Ronald McDonald House.

McDonald’s bosses said the litter pick highlighted the strong community spirit in Blackpool, with everyone coming together to make a visible difference to the local environment ahead of the popular Ride the Lights event.

McDonald’s Franchisee Nigel Dunnington, who owns and operates 16 restaurants across Lancashire, and coordinated the initiative, said: “Our community is incredibly important to us, and it was fantastic to see our crew come together to give their time and make a real difference to the local area.

“With Ride the Lights taking place, we wanted to do our bit to help keep Blackpool looking its best, while also raising money for Ronald McDonald House. We’re really proud of what the team achieved and delighted that our efforts have helped raise £150 to support families when they need it most.”

The funds raised from the event will go towards supporting Ronald McDonald House, a charity that provides free “home away from home” accommodation for families with children in hospitals. By offering a place to stay close to their child, the charity helps families maintain comfort and stability during challenging times.

For more than 35 years, McDonald’s crew members have been actively helping to keep local communities’ litter free. Across the UK, our restaurant teams carry out daily patrols every day around each restaurant, collecting all litter in the surrounding area, not just McDonald’s packaging. Together, this covers around 5,000 miles each week.

McDonald’s addresses litter in communities in multiple ways, both by organising regular litter picks and by ensuring our packaging can be recycled.

As part of its mission, the brand has been working to make recycling easier, and has installed recycling units in all restaurants, making it easier to separate plastics. In addition, McDonald’s collects used cooking oil from its kitchens and converts it into enough biodiesel to power more than half of its delivery fleet.