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30 Years of Clean-Ups: Britain’s Largest Muslim Youth Group Takes to the Streets on New Year’s Day

Friday, 2 January 2026 at 12:59

By Raj Parmar X @allaboutraj

Nearly 3,000 volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association marked 30 years of nationwide New Year clean-ups by clearing litter across more than 75 UK towns and cities.

Nearly 3,000 volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) took to the streets across the UK on New Year’s Day, marking 30 years of the organisation’s annual nationwide clean-up initiative.

Rising early after morning prayers, volunteers gathered in more than 75 towns and cities, including London, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool, to clean streets, parks and public spaces, giving communities a positive start to 2026.

In just a single morning, volunteers collected over 600 bags of litter, making it one of the largest faith-led environmental initiatives to take place at the start of the New Year.

The initiative has been organised every year since 1995 by AMYA — the UK’s oldest and largest Muslim youth organisation — and is rooted in Islamic teachings that emphasise cleanliness, service and contributing positively to society.

Farhad Ahmad, National President of AMYA UK, said the clean-up demonstrates the values at the heart of the organisation:

“For many years, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association has been running projects like this to serve the communities and country we are so proud to call home.

At a time when some have incorrectly claimed that Islam is at odds with British values, initiatives like these clearly show the opposite.

In the last two years alone, our volunteers have contributed over sixty thousand hours of service, raised more than eighty-four million pounds for British charities, and helped provide over four and a half million meals to those in need.”

Among those taking part was Imam Ehtesham Arif, aged 24 — one of the youngest Imams in the UK — who reflected on the initiative’s long-standing impact:

“Over the past 30 years, tens of thousands of volunteers have dedicated roughly thirty thousand hours to keeping our streets clean.

I can vividly remember taking part from the age of five. What continues to inspire me is seeing children as young as seven waking up at six in the morning on New Year’s Day to pray, then serve their communities. It’s part of our faith.”

The work of AMYA follows the guidance of the worldwide leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who consistently encourages young people to serve society through meaningful action.

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