Voluntary groups and businesses have signed up to take part in a Pontypool Towns Together action day this weekend.
Volunteers are invited to meet outside the Lower Crane Street entrance to Pontypool Indoor Market from 9am on Saturday to help clean and weed areas in Crane Street and The Link, Commercial Street and George Street.
It follows work by council teams to cut back larger sections of overgrowth and sweep streets as part of a new Towns Together programme, which will see council teams, businesses, residents, volunteer groups and partners work together to identify and improve town centres.
Cllr Joanne Gauden, Torfaen's Executive Member for Economy, Skills & Regeneration said: "Our town centres have the potential to be at the heart of our communities again, but they need a consistent and coordinated approach.
"We have listened to businesses and residents who say they are frustrated by the visual appearance of Pontypool and Blaenavon town centres in particular, and the empty shops.
"While the council has a significant role to play in addressing those points, we cannot solve all the problems. We need communities, individuals and landlords to show that they love where they live and take positive action to look after it.
"Together we can transform our town centres into areas where people want to visit and businesses want to invest."
Dyl Delaney, Chairman of the Pontypool Community Taskforce, said: “The taskforce is made up of representatives from five voluntary groups and embodies the ethos of collaborative working.
“That’s why we are so pleased to have been involved with the council from the very beginning in planning the town’s makeover day.
“Events like this represent the Torfaen Deal at its very best, bringing together residents, volunteers and local organisations to make a real difference in our community. Long may it continue.”
Alongside the clean up, young people will be creating a mural on hoardings outside St James' Church on Hanbury Road.
The Towns Together initiative includes plans for bus stop improvements throughout the borough and a series of murals to encourage visitors and deter anti-social behaviour.
The next Towns Together event will take place in Blaenavon in September and we're seeking suggestions on which street to target.
You can meet the Towns Together team at the Blaenavon Town Council's late summer event on Saturday, September 5.