DETERMINED community members banded together to clean-up one of Creswick’s most historic buildings that has become an eyesore.
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The British Hotel – which has not opened its doors in more than seven years – is boarded up and covered in graffiti.
Creswick Neighbourhood Centre employees were fed up with the constant graffiti tagging by bored teenagers.
Creswick’s Chantel Leaver said around a dozen Creswick locals had dedicated their Saturday to cleaning up the building.
“You come into Creswick and the British Hotel is one of the first things you see,” Ms Leaver said.
“Our choice was we could let it rot away, or we could do something about it and get up and make a change.”
Creswick neighbourhood Centre donated many of the tools, including and paint brushes.
“Everyone really wanted to make a difference,” Ms Leaver said.
Ms Leaver said the group hoped the owners of the hotel could see how much the building meant to community members and do something so it could be enjoyed by all.
“So many people have great memories of the venue when it was open – we’d love it to be open again,” Ms Leaver said.
Teenager Asher Kuhn, 14, was manning the graffiti removal kit.
He was one of the volunteers painting, removing graffiti and cutting back blackberry bushes.
“I decided to it to keep the town clean and make it look better,” Asher said.
The idea was instigated by Kate Moran who felt the town needed community support.
Ms Leaver said the effort put in by volunteers showed the strength of Creswick’s community.
