It’s time to finish what we started
Dedicated members of Darkwood Crew have said they will not be deterred by careless litter louts as they get back to their roots to help clean up the area.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, members of the Darkwood Crew have become a lifeline for the Ferguslie Park community, delivering almost 8,500 food parcels to the vulnerable and organising socially-distanced events to tackle feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Their stellar efforts helped them pick up awards from Renfrewshire Council for supporting the community throughout the pandemic, and the group even won a prestigious Community Group of the year award from Paths for All.
The volunteers are now picking up their black bags and litter pickers to help clean up the Ferguslie Park area and get back to the mission which launched the group.
The hardworking volunteers initially banded together specifically to regenerate the village green in Ferguslie Park, and the group has now joined forces with Keep Scotland Beautiful for their Upstream Battle campaign to tackle the ongoing issue of litter.
Terry McTernan, secretary of the Darkwood Crew, told the just looking at practical ways to help people such as uplifting and reusing appliances.
“It can be a hassle for people to sort uplifts and we thought we could step in and help find people that could use these appliances and stop it littering the street or going to landfill.
“Ferguslie is a fantastic community and we want to make sure it looks that way too.
“That was the thinking behind cutting all the grass throughout lockdown too - we want to take pride in the area.
“We want to spread the message to people that there are alternative ways to do things.
While the group are excited to get started on their cleanup mission again, they have been disappointed to see irresponsible fly- tipping blighting the area.
Terry added: “It has been dreadful to see some of the rubbish that has been left lying on the street.
“But we won’t be deterred at all. We want to keep doing what we are doing and keep making Ferguslie Park a great way to live.
“We are always keeping our eyes on the community to make sure people are getting rid of their rubbish properly.
“Hopefully, people will work with us to help us with what
we are doing.”