We've done it. In the space of just six short weeks, we raised an army of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and took to the streets to tackle the scourge of litter blighting our landscape.

Our BIG Spring Clean campaign with the Belfast Telegraph has galvanised some 2,416 volunteers to give of their own time to clear up the rubbish blighting our towns and villages in an amazing 57 clean-ups across the length and breadth of Northern Ireland. From Strabane to Newtownabbey, from Newry to Dunseverick, from Enniskillen to Cloughey on the Ards Peninsula, we've had clean-ups right across the six counties. We've had clean-ups organised by everyone from Glenullin GAA to the scouts, from New Mossley Presbyterian Church to The Pagan Journey, from the Whitehead Wombles to the Strangford Lough Spring Clean. A grand total of 6,432 hours or 804 working days or more than 2 years' worth of work was carried out during the BIG Spring Clean by volunteers who collected over 4 tonnes of rubbish from all over Northern Ireland.

These redoubtable volunteers found everything from tins, plastic bottles and bags to flytipped tyres and even asbestos, along with some peculiar things such as a Christmas tree complete with lights, a road barrier which had sailed all the way from Blackpool to Cloughey Beach on the Ards Peninsula, a plastic whale beached on the shore of Lough Erne and many items of clothing. And we've garnered support from all sorts of places - our campaign won the backing of all-party political support and the commendation of Environment Minister Edwin Poots. Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan even teamed up with staff from McDonalds restaurants in Derry to clean up the city's historic walls.The Big Spring Clean also had the backing of numerous local celebrites including Eamonn Holmes, David Healy, Zoe Salmon and Rachel Tucker while it was also supported by professor David Bellamy.

Ian Humphreys, CEO of TIDY Northern Ireland, says "It is hugely encouraging to see so many people showing pride in the places where they live by taking practical action through clean-ups. Together we are making Northern Ireland beautiful, helping attract inward investment, ensuring tourists return and delivering a higher quality of life for us all. Can I say a BIG thank you to everyone who has done their bit in the BIG Spring Clean. Keep up the great work!"

Among the litter heroes were St Aloysius Primary School in Lisburn, whose "eco warriors" led a clean-up of the school grounds. Meanwhile, pupils from Greenhaw Primary School in Carnhill, Derry, not only tackled their school grounds but extended their efforts to the streets beyond. One "eco warrior" even took to the water, scouring the Kesh River in Co Fermanagh by boat. Stephen Hey said: "In the space of a few hours the two of us managed to extract 24 sacks of assorted rubbish from the mouth of the river."

To everyone who took part in our Big Spring Clean,

Thanks for your gargantuan efforts. It's only when you get out there and really start searching for the litter hotspots that it's brought home to you just how much rubbish is scattered around our roads and beauty spots. The most encouraging thing is that so many hundreds of enthusiastic children got involved in the clean-ups - and they had a lot to teach us older ones about recycling and saving energy. That's the key to ensuring we pass on a clean Northern Ireland to the next generation - instilling that ethos in our children and nurturing a sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings.

Thanks again for all your hard work! However, the fight against litter is not over yet! So if you would like to get involved in a clean-up, no matter where or how big, we will try and support you. For more information please phone 028 9073 6920 or email enquiries@tidynorthernireland.org OR you can still register your clean up in the BIG Spring Clean section of our website.

To register a clean up click HERE

Once your clean up is over click HERE to register your results.

We would love to see any pictures of your clean ups so please send them to: jennifer.smyth@tidynorthernireland.org

N.B Please be mindful of wildlife when organising your clean up. The nesting season has just begun and disturbance of nesting birds, particularly ground breeding ducks etc. should be taken into account before undertaking any litter lifting activites especially around any fresh water areas.