Clean sweep in East End park
Volunteers joined forces to pick litter
East End Park in Paisley has scrubbed up well after a community clean-up driven by volunteers.
Many hands made light work at the weekend as volunteers joined together to take part in the litter pick.
They visited the park to help give it a refresh and make it an inviting place for people to visit with their families, kids and dogs.
Organised by RIG Arts, the event came ahead of a campaign that will deliver a series of improvements to Renfrewshire’s environment as part of a £ 250,000 investment.
The project will deliver a programme of activities as part of an environmental cleanup, which includes improvements to road signs, increased mechanical sweeping and gulley cleaning, a highlyvisible litter picking presence and Rapid Response Teams working across Renfrewshire.
It will also aim to engage the local community to join together to create a feeling of civic pride within their area and ask that everyone takes on some responsibility to keep Renfrewshire clean.
Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, was there at the weekend to get her hands dirty.
She said: “It’s fantastic to see the local community turn out in numbers to take part in this clean up and the park is looking great after their efforts.
“It was made clear by residents that improving the cleanliness of Renfrewshire’s streets was a key issue for them and the council is investing a quarter of a million pounds to address this and improve the environmental standards across Renfrewshire.
“We want to engage the community to work alongside us and take pride in their area as we aim to make Renfrewshire a place people want to live, work, visit and invest in.”
RIG Arts is a socially engaged arts charity based in Greenock that develops and facilitates a range of community arts projects within schools, their studio, community art flats and beyond.
They are running the SUGaR (Seedhill Urban Growing and Regeneration) project in collaboration with YES (Young Enterprise Scotland) and in partnership with the Williamsburgh Housing Association, funded by the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Rebecca Livesey-Wright, arts project facilitator, said: “RIG Arts are really excited to be working in a new area with a fresh community.
“We’ve been so impressed be the enthusiasm and knowledge of the local people and look forward to developing the SUGaR project with them.”
RIG Arts and YES will be working with the local community and Williamsburgh Housing Association until March next year to coordinate eight litter picks, four swap shops, four upcycling workshops and four community events as well as food growing opportunities.
The project aims to increase the community’s understanding of waste and promote improved eco- friendly behaviours.