Womenunite to keep the city streets free of litter
CREATIVE cleaners and lovely litter-pickers are back out in force to support the Evening Times Streets Ahead campaign. Our community initiative, which aims to help people improve their local parks, streets, gardens and playgrounds, is inspiring projects
GIt can also add caring, co-operation and clean-ups to the list, thanks to its recent successful litter-pick in the surrounding streets, supported by Clean Glasgow.
The city council’s arms-length environmental organisation is one of our campaign partners, alongside Glasgow Housing Association, Scottish Fire and Rescue, ScotRail and City Charitable Trust.
With their support, the Evening Times has kickstarted a number of fantastic community initiatives over the last five years and enthusiasm for the campaign shows no sign of waning.
Organiser Pip Ryan explained: “Some of the women decided to tidy up the front of the cafe and surrounding areas and we had a good turn-out of supporters.”
The Glendale Women’s Café is organised and managed by volunteers from the Pollokshields community, one of the most ethnicallydiverse neighbourhoods i n Scotland.
The weekly cafe has been in operation for over a year, bringing together the women of the neighbourhood and giving them a place to flourish.
As well as the coffee and cake, of course, the cafe is about developing skills, interest and self-confidence - a busy programme includes massage sessions, tutored sewing classes and art and craft groups.
Pip adds: “We also hold film nights, cookery classes, information events, art exhibitions and welcome guest speakers – we will generally do anything that women feel there is a need for us to promote in our community.”
Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chairman of Clean Glasgow, Councillor Frank McAveety, said: “The Glendale Women’s Café is a fantastic example of people in a community coming together to form new friendships and build relationships while carrying out a range of different activities that not only improve their own lives but those of the rest of the neighbourhood.
“Keeping Glasgow clean is a huge task and it is everyone’s responsibility to play their part, not just the council, by disposing of different types of rubbish in the right way, recycling where possible and helping keep your local community tidy.
“I have to congratulate the Glendale Women’s Café for going the extra mile in helping to make their local area a nicer place to live.
“Last year Clean Glasgow helped people undertake more than 5000 clean-ups across the city and we are always looking for groups and individuals to get in touch if they’d like to help.”
Elsewhere in the city, groups across Glasgow are putting a spring in their step with Streets Ahead.
Volunteers in Glasgow’s west end joined forces recently, in a bid to clean up the streets of Hillhead.
Residents, students and neighbourhood improvement volunteers (NIVs) from Clean Glasgow were among those to take part in the initiative, which saw them cover Gib- son Street, Bank Street and Otago Street.
Graeme Bald, a Neighbourhood Improvement Volunteer who helped lead the clean-up, explained: “We had a great afternoon out in the sunshine cleaning up streets in and around Hillhead.
“It was terrific to see people really getting i nvolved in their local community.”
Graeme, 64, added: “There seems to be a general consensus among a lot of people that if they drop litter someone else will pick it up, so it’s important to talk to people when we are out to change attitudes to throwing things away in the street.”
The clean-up formed part of a joint effort between community group Action Hillhead, the University of Glasgow and the institution’s environmental sustainability team to help keep the area tidy.
It comes as Clean Glasgow steps up efforts to make the city a cleaner and safer place to be, working with residents to try and share responsibility for the environment.
Councillor McAveety added: “Well done to everyone who took to the streets for this Hillhead clean-up.
“Led by neighbourhood improvement volunteers, they are making a real difference to their local community. “Together we can prevent people littering, leaving dog mess, dumping waste illegally, graffiting and advertising on public spaces without permission.”