Friends net eco award
Volunteers’ efforts rewarded
An environmental group from Blantyre have gained a top award from Keep Scotland Beautiful for their hard work in 2017.
Friends of the Calder have achieved level two in the charity’s It’s Your Neighbourhood campaign.
The award celebrates the efforts of volunteers over the last year – after they notched up 700 hours improving the area.
Susan Lindner, chairperson of the group, was delighted with the award and said: “As a group of volunteers, we’ve had so much fun over the last year.
“Yes, we’ve been involved in lots of events from practical work days to a bat watch, but it has been more important seeing our community come together to get the Calder looking as beautiful as it can be – that has been pretty special.
“We are very lucky to have such great support from the Countryside Rangers, Jo and Abi, and we’d be lost without them. Also, having such amazing involvement from Scottish Gas Network earlier in the year, made a significant difference to our area.
“We’ve all worked beautifully together.”
Earlier on in the summer, Friends of the Calder teamed up with over 20 employees Scottish Gas Network to give the Milheugh area a facelift. Along with the South Lanarkshire Council Countryside Rangers, they turned up at 8am with their vans, diggers and tools.
The works carried out included clearing away the snowberry which was taking over at the Falls area, cutting back all the growth hiding the old Milheugh House outbuilding ruin, removing a log which had been blocking Milheugh bridge, as well as clearing away an area at Pech Brae that has been blighted by anti-social behaviour.
Other events during the year included bringing the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Wild About Scotland Bus to the town; a spring clean event around Greenhall and Milheugh Park in High Blantyre; sowing a wildflower meadow at the Hunthill Road entrance to Milheugh; and planting seeds around the pond at Barnhill.
And further improvement works have been taking place in the Blantyre area during recent weeks. These have seen existing paths and stairs being upgraded, with new paths also being introduced.
The biggest change has been in the landscape where trees have been felled, enabling people to go along and explore the area.
A bulb-planting event was also held at Greenhall Park last Sunday.
Susan continued: “An event will be held in January to showcase all the work that has taken place, so keep an eye on the Friends of the Calder facebook page at www.facebook. com/friendsofthecalder for further information.”
Meanwhile, this week Friends of the Calder were saddened to see a pile of tyres had been flytipped at Barnhill. The group say they will now work with the Community Police and South Lanarkshire Council’s environmental services department to look for ways to discourage such anti-social behaviour.