Friends clear up beloved woodland
Forest walk is now clear thanks to volunteers
A team of hardy volunteers took to the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park last week on a tidy-up mission.
Members of the Friends of Stonehouse Park (FOSP) group as well as a team from the Clydesdale Community Initiative (CCI) Scotland spent time clearing pathways, picking up litter and making new benches.
And FOSP are calling on visitors to the park to play their part and put their rubbish in the bin.
Mark Monie, group chairman, said: “The Friends of Stonehouse Park would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the Clydesdale Community Initiative for organising our work days in our wonderful park.
“This time last year the woodland was a no-go area. And thanks to CCI’S effort and some local volunteers, it now is a nice open walk with the strimming and some pruning that has made a major difference. They have now moved on and are slowly attempting to clear the burn a bit at a time.
“As well as doing much-needed maintenance they have also being cleaning up litter, which I feel is a waste of their skills. It’s a shame people feel the need to litter one of the only forest walks we have in Stonehouse.
“Over the last few years the council has put the effort in to maintain the formal area of the park and has done their best with the funds available to them, but sadly there are no funds to maintain the woodland, so the help we get from volunteers and the support from South Lanarkshire Forest Rangers in letting us hold events and do small improvements is the only way forward at the moment.
“The Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park is part of Stonehouse’s history, and I hope it will be in many years to come.
“Look after it and pick up your litter - it’s not hard.”
CCI Scotland is a unique social enterprise, incorporating a charity that delivers person-centred programmes to individuals with a range of support needs. For more information, visit www.cciweb.org.uk