Volunteers in Renfrewshire are being equipped to help their neighbours and keep their residential street ice-free.

The latest addition to the award-winning Team Up to Clean Up campaign will see communities become Winter Warriors as a grit spreader, grit and snow shovel is added to the community caddies.

Cllr McEwan, Kevin Dick and his daughter (1)

Volunteers are able to borrow the caddy from the person in their community who stores it to allow them to grit outside their homes if bad weather is set to strike.

The provision of the new equipment forms part of the council’s #RenReady Ready for Winter campaign, which aims to keep people safe and prepared throughout the winter period.

The council has used more than 6700 tonnes of grit on Renfrewshire’s roads this winter already as it strives to ensure emergency, school and main routes are free of snow and ice, as well as providing more than 500 grit bins for residents to use as they wish.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, said: “The Team Up to Clean Up campaign is all about listening to our communities and working together to make Renfrewshire a better place to live, work and visit.

“We’ve been asked by volunteers to provide them with the equipment to grit their residential areas during the winter period as they recognise that it’s not always possible for the council to reach every street.

“Our gritting teams focus on the emergency and main roads first, so if communities can keep their driveways and pavements clear then it will make a big difference – but we will continue to strive to reach all areas of Renfrewshire wherever we can.

“You’ll be able to borrow the new grit spreader from the volunteer storing the caddy and we hope this will be a further chance for people to meet new friends and help each other.”

The Team Up to Clean Up caddies were established when council employee Gail Scoular pitched her idea to the Lens programme, our intrapreneurship programme which gives staff members the chance to be innovative and change the way we work.

She was awarded £12,000 and used this funding to create 14 community caddies which allow volunteers to tidy up their local area with a hedge trimmer, a leaf blower and shears just some of the items available.

These are embedded in twelve different communities in Renfrewshire, with volunteers storing them and facilitating others to access them.

For more information on staying safe in winter, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/readyforwinter and to borrow one of the Team Up to Clean Up caddies, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/teamupcaddies.

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Founder of Paisley.org.uk in 1998 and constantly strives to change peoples attitudes to the town, Brian is a self described Paisley Digital Champion who promotes Paisley via any means necessary. You can also follow me on X