East End Park scrubs up well thanks to community clean up

Many hands made light work at the weekend as volunteers joined together to take part in a community litter pick.

Councillor Cathy McEwan and volunteers at the litter pick

Volunteers visited East End Park in Paisley to give the area a refresh and make the park an inviting place for the local community to visit.

Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, Councillor Cathy McEwan and Rebecca Livesey-Wright, Arts Project Facilitator

The litter pick, organised by RIG Arts, comes ahead of a campaign which will deliver a series of improvements to Renfrewshire’s environment as part of a £250,000 investment.

Councillor McEwan and volunteers get to work

The campaign will deliver a programme of increased operational activities as part of an initial environmental clean-up including improvements to roads signage, increased mechanical sweeping and gulley cleaning, a highly visible litter picking presence and Rapid Response Teams working across Renfrewshire.

Councillor McEwan and volunteers get to work

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 to get her hands dirty and join community members in the clean up.

Councillor McEwan 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 are a socially engaged arts charity based in Greenock, which 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 2018 to deliver 8 litter picks, 4 swap shops, 4 upcycling workshops and 4 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.