Twin Brothers Lead Community Cleaning Initiatives

Having experienced homelessness during their teenage years, twin brothers James and John Makanjuola are now dedicated to enhancing urban cleanliness. The Makanjuola siblings have been actively engaged in Southampton, voluntarily cleaning street signs and public bins. This activity has garnered them significant recognition across social media platforms. The brothers established their company, Makagroup, following their university studies in Bournemouth and Portsmouth, where they observed the often “grubby” conditions of student accommodation. They have since become known as “guerilla cleaners,” dedicating time to community service in addition to operating their professional cleaning business. John revealed that his family’s homelessness when he and James were 15 served as the impetus for launching their venture. John, an alumnus of the University of Portsmouth, elaborated: “When I was at university, we saw a lot of dirty student accommodation.” He added, “My flatmates were sort of dirty. I used to be the one that used to clean it up so I said ‘why don’t we start a cleaning company for students?’ “That’s how it all started. We’ve seen some grubby places.” James, who attended Bournemouth University, noted that as their business expanded, they began seeking other areas to clean. He recounted: “There was an area we walked past every day. We looked at each other and said ‘why don’t we just clean it?’ and put it on social media because we wanted to show people how good we are at cleaning. “When we did it, we never realised we were doing it for the community, that people would love it.” The duo, originally from Croydon, now travels throughout the south of England, identifying locations to clean, driven by a desire to “make the world a cleaner environment.” They have amassed thousands of followers on social media, who have observed their cleaning efforts at sites such as Wembley, Covent Garden, the London Underground, and Fratton Park. James articulated their motivation, stating: “We always said that we are going to never let our children experience what we experienced, and from a very young age we started thinking ‘what can we do?'” John further commented: “I think it’s because we’re giving back to the community and we’re doing it without asking for anything in return. “If we have fun doing it, people watching our videos can see the excitement.” For updates, BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight can be followed on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.