Appeal nets over 400 items for foodbank
A kind Fernhill schoolgirl has been boxing clever recently – after leaving boxes outside her home for foodbank donations.
Orla Larkin’s sweet gesture has now paid off handsomely, with hundreds of items being gifted that will go towards people desperately needing some help.
The Primary 5 pupil at Fernhill School decided she wanted to do something to help others in time for Easter, and from there hit on the idea of supporting a foodbank charity.
Showing entrepreneurial spirit, the 10-year-old printed off leaflets and passed them round her neighbourhood, explaining what items were needed and if anyone had any they could drop them into a box at her front door.
Orla and her mum Diane were expecting a small amount but were left stunned as the numbers piled up.
Diane explained: “I think we were expecting about three bags at most!
“After Orla decided to help out with Loaves and Fishes we e-mailed Lesley at the food bank there and they sent over a list of what they wanted, which had everything from nappies, toiletries and food on it, and Orla got the leaflets and distributed them around her estate.
“There’s 245 houses here and we got on the local neighbourhood Facebook page to let as many people as possible know about it and we got more people involved.
“We got a big plastic box and left it outside. With coronavirus, Orla said she wanted it to be easy to donate things. At last count we were over 400 items.
“It seems to have worked really well, because people can be out for a walk and just pop over with a few things.”
The family live in East Kilbride but Orla attends Fernhill School in Rutherglen.
Diane added: “The school do something called Me and My World that gets the children looking at the bigger picture, and that’s something that has helped her get interested in helping the community.
“I’m really proud of her, and a bit amazed she thought of this on her own!”
Mary Francis Gallagher, head of early years, marketing and admissions at Fernhill, added: “Orla has done a tremendous job and the school are delighted with her efforts.”
The hundreds of goods are now to be donated to the Loaves and Fishes charity in East Kilbride.
A bike share scheme could be set up in South Lanarkshire to boost active travel in the region.
Councillors are set to vote on a motion by Rutherglen Central and North councillor Martin Lennon today to explore options for a bike sharing scheme.
Councillor Lennon said any such scheme would help “make it easier to cycle” for residents as well as helping to “foster a cyclingfriendly culture on the roads”.
Public bike sharing schemes have been set up to improve access to cycling and active travel options in places like Glasgow and London.
The scheme would see bikes purchased by the local authority for people to hire from hubs across the region.
Glasgow’s Nextbike scheme allows users to rent standard bikes or e-bikes via an app, hotline or customer card and costs up to £10 a day.
Public bike sharing schemes can have a positive impact by encouraging people to take up cycling and to create an environment on the roads which is more welcoming to new cyclists.
If agreed, Councillor Lennon’s motion would see a report brought back to committee in six months with options to create a South Lanarkshire-wide scheme or extend the Glasgow scheme into South Lanarkshire.
He said: “Bike share schemes have been hugely popular all over the world, and several have worked here in Scotland.
“Over the course of the pandemic we’ve seen how important it is to keep active and active travel can be a big part of that.
“The council has some money from the Scottish Government that is ring fenced for active travel and
Rutherglen is brilliantly placed for cycling in and out of Glasgow.. it could bring a lot of visitors Cllr Martin Lennon
if we can use some of that to get a bike-share scheme off the ground it could be a great opportunity.
“Rutherglen is brilliantly placed for cycling in and out of Glasgow. If we can make it easier to cycle in and out it could help bring a lot of visitors to the Main Street and give locals an easy, active option if they are going into town.
“Extending this scheme across South Lanarkshire could also open up loads of routes and really help foster a cycling-friendly culture on the roads.”
Healthy The plan would encourage more people to cycle