Antonine Wall spring clean as part of "Keep Scotland Beautiful" programme.
Local community volunteers are being sought for clean up projects in April at various stretches of the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site.
Gearing up for National Spring Clean
Providing those who are annoyed by litter with the opportunity to head out into the fresh air and make a difference, National Spring Clean 2009 is set to be the biggest and best yet – and Keep Scotland Beautiful is now launching a major volunteer recruitment drive.
The annual month-long blitz on the litter that blights our streets, parks, riversides and beaches is quickly approaching and Keep Scotland Beautiful is looking for people to restore their sense of community pride and clean up their neighbourhoods for themselves and visitors to our country.
Last year 20,000 volunteers took part in clean up events during the month of April, gathering enough black bags of litter to line the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, from the castle esplanade to the Scottish Parliament, 12 times over.
Many groups already take part in voluntary clean ups during the year, but National Spring Clean provides an opportunity for schools, youth clubs, voluntary groups, communities, businesses and individuals to play an important part in a bigger, coordinated campaign. It is an ideal occasion for anyone who cares about their local environment to take action.
Cabinet Secretary for the Environment Richard Lochhead said: “Litter continues to be a blight on many communities across Scotland and it is absolutely vital that we all do our bit to tackle this unsightly problem. With 2009 being the year of Homecoming, this is the perfect opportunity to make a difference as part of the National Spring Clean and ensure Scotland has a worldwide reputation for being a clean and tidy country. “
Chief Executive of KSB, John Summers OBE said, “It’s so easy to get involved in National Spring Clean 2009; all people have to do is find a location near them that they feel could do with a litter clean, choose a date in April and then register their event online at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/springclean”.
The new look National Spring Clean 2009 website is now live, allowing volunteers to view the online map showing all the organised events. Information about litter and how schools, community groups and businesses can get involved is provided, along with case studies, organiser check lists, information about fundraising and publicity and also downloadable template posters and participant certificates.
“Not only does a spring clean event pull communities together, remove litter and improve the local environment, it can also be great fun to get involved in an exciting free outdoor challenge as the weather improves. And with this year being ‘Homecoming’ we also want to showcase Scotland at its best.” added Mr Summers.
• National Spring Clean will take place throughout Scotland during 1st – 30th April 2008.
• Keep Scotland Beautiful is one of Scotland’s leading environmental charities, administering anti-litter campaigns under the Keep Scotland Tidy slogan along with the People and Places, Blue Flag and Eco Schools environment programmes, Waste Aware Scotland, Sustainable Scotland Network, Climate Challenge Fund and Going Carbon Neutral Stirling campaign.
• Full details about National Spring Clean are available on the KSB website www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/springclean
• The Scottish Government has provided additional funding to KSB to support National Spring Clean 2009.
• Homecoming Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country's national tourism agency. Further information is available at: http://www.homecomingscotland2009.com
