IN what is seen as a form of appreciation for the hospitality they have received in Guyana thus far, a group of Venezuelans on Sunday carried out the first of a weekly clean-up exercise along the Georgetown seawall.

The exercise was undertaken in two phases and according to one of the organisers, Lisa Browne, the event was well attended; she noted that everyone provided support in whatever way they could.

“We had one group here from 8 am this morning of about 30 persons until 11 am and another group came out from 4pm this afternoon and we had more people,” Browne said.

She said that teams combed through the rocks outside the seawall as they commenced the exercise from the Kitty roundabout heading north.

Browne said she thought of the idea sometime last year and two weeks ago she made a post in a Venezuelan Facebook group and the response was positive from the inception.

She said the group is conscious of the environment and the care that it should receive.

It was noted too that whether persons can attend the exercise or not, being conscious of the environment matters most.

Browne said too that the group was also thankful for being able to move to Guyana, given the economic woes Venezuela is experiencing.

“Basically, we have to be thankful for the people here in Guyana, they have received us well and we have to show some form of appreciation, ” she added.

The group included families and some prepared food while others assisted with water and beverages as the teams cleaned the area.

More than two dozen bags of garbage were collected and the team intends to continue the exercise next Sunday, while there are plans to pursue similar voluntary ventures in the near future.