Clean up at Jock’s Burn
People were this week being urged to roll up their sleeves in January and February and get behind a clean-up of a beauty spot in Carluke.
The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership are calling on people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and lend a hand to spruce up this little oasis of nature in the town which is Jock’s Burn.
A range of different dates have been organised to allow as many community members as possible to join in – the sessions, will be managed by Clydesdale Community Initiatives ( CCI) in partnership with Heritage Lottery Fund supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP).
The initial work will focus on delittering, clearing debris from the burn, and tidying up and repairing steps. South Lanarkshire Council will assist in completing some path repairs and safety measures.
The CAVLP Make Your Way arts, heritage and active travel campaign team will be putting on complimentary activities alongside some of the environmental volunteering activities to provide a great community buzz in the town.
Jock’s Burn is one of the few places in Carluke where people can experience a bit of nature, including residual ancient fauna that would have at one time cloaked the local area.
The importance of Jock’s Burn to the local community has been highlighted in community consultations and identified as a vital corridor for people to walk and cycle to work and school by the Make Your Way project.
Popular with local dog walkers, it will soon be home to a new school orchard through a project with Central Scotland Green Network Trust ( CSGNT), Carluke Development Trust (CDT) and seven primary schools.
Volunteers are asked to join the clean up and improvement sessions between 10.30am – 2pm on Tuesday January 17 and Wednesday, January 18; Tuesdays, February 7 and February 14; and Wednesdays, February 1, 8, 15 and 22.
Bring your smartphones, tablets and recording devices along on Tuesday, January 17, and help record all of the activities, memories and the local environment.
On Wednesday, January 18, see Jock’s Burn in a new light by joining the Make Your Way team for periscope view finding walks.
The Make Your Way project is also working with school children to highlight how Jock’s Burn could be used for outdoor learning, as well producing maps and developing signage to highlight it as a local greenspace as part of a wider walking and cycling network.
Kirsten Robb, CAVLP Development Officer for the Make Your Way project said: “Getting involved in the volunteering days will be a tremendous help to continuing the regeneration of the area.
“We know there have been problems with sewage in the burn, fly tipping in the woods and some anti-social behaviour.
“But it is actions like volunteering with CCI and engaging with Make Your Way project activities that let the community reclaim the woodlands as a safe and enjoyable place to walk, cycle and play.”
Find out more and sign up to join in as many or as few volunteering sessions that you’d like with CCI by contacting 01555 664 211 / enquiries@cciweb.org.uk.