'I'm on a mission to clean up Shropshire one sign at a time - it's crazy but I like it'
A Shrewsbury cyclist has taken it upon himself to clean up Shropshire – one road sign at a time.
John Edwards, a retired aerospace worker, began cleaning up road signs in the county last month – and the 70-year-old ex-racing cyclist says he just can't stop.
He said he got the idea after seeing an online video of somebody cleaning signs during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is crazy, I know, but I started about a month ago after seeing a video online with a guy cleaning signs with a proper set-up with a compressor washer out of his van during Covid. I thought 'that’s something I’d like to do'," he said.
“So I went to the sign at Emstrey that reads ‘Shrewsbury - a medieval town’ but it’s 10 feet up so I had to return with a suds-soaked mop strapped to my crossbar and a folding step in the pannier.
“Since then I’ve cleaned several of the ‘Shrewsbury’ signs as you enter the town. As I’m driving around if I see an interesting sign I’ll return on my bike with Cif and rags, as it’s easier and safer to park a cycle than a car.”
He has since cleaned a variety of signs around the town, from large historical signs on Shrewsbury's border to 'no parking' signs in the town centre.
He said: “Shropshire is truly stunning, however our signs are most definitely not so I’m on a mission to change that, one sign at a time.
"Some people pick litter, I clean signs.”
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