Boys’ goal is to clean up town
Young football aces have growing interest in gardening
Renfrewshire football champions cleaned up again as they rolled up their sleeves to help tidy up a memorial garden.
Players from Paisley’s Glenvale 2002s side, who won four major trophies last season, will spend the summer working with the environmental training team clearing up their community.
The lads are trying to raise money for a dream trip to Manchester City’s Football Academy and they are desperate to help earn their own way.
Instead of scoring goals and making tackles, they will be picking up litter, weeding, filling planters, clearing debris and building benches.
Team secretary Stewart Bridges said: “We had the idea towards the end of last season that it would be good for the boys to volunteer over the summer and ask people to support their trip down to Manchester.
“I had come across the environmental training team based at St Ninian’s Church, in Ferguslie, and I thought it would be good for the lads to get out with them.”
After an induction on Monday, the boys had their first of six sessions at the Alexander Wilson Memorial Garden in Paisley yesterday.
“The boys are really looking forward to getting involved.
“For a group of 14 and 15-yearolds, they have been surprisingly enthusiastic about it.
“They like the idea of contributing towards their trip down to Manchester.
“I think it shows a good level of responsibility from them that they are interested in working to make their own community better too.
“For the first week they are all together, but over the course of the next few weeks they will be split up into smaller groups and will go to different areas in the town to work on separate projects.”
With a trip to Manchester City’s world-class training facility on offer in February, the lads are more than willing to get involved.
Stewart continued: “It’s a great opportunity for them to go down there and see the facility. “They are really buzzing about it.” Glenvale 2002s secured the treble last season, winning the league, League Cup and the West Region Cup.
The Environmental Training Team was initially established in 2011 by residents from Ferguslie Park who wanted to make a difference to the environment at a local level.
It has expanded to the surrounding areas while, at the same time, developing a range of ‘not- for-profit’ enterprising initiatives including, garden maintenance, landscaping, litter picking and graffiti removal.
For a group of teens, they have been surprisingly enthusiastic about it Stewart Bridges