AS the New Year party goers find their way home tomorrow morning, there will no doubt be some debris of their celebrations left along the way – but if one man has anything to do with it, the litter will soon be gone.
Most likely you will have seen Stevie Smith at work. He is a familiar sight around the town, dressed in his beanie hat and hi-viz work clothes and wielding his litter picker. You may have assumed he was a street orderly employed by the local authority but he is not. Stevie is a volunteer who likes to get up early and spend his day walking around the town keeping it tidy.
Community Award recognises Stevie’s voluntary efforts
And it is in recognition of Stevie’s quiet dedication to the town’s streets that he was presented with this year’s Community Award by Stonehaven and District Community Council, Business Association and local churches.
This annual recognition is given to a person who is over 18 years of age and who has achieved outstanding achievement, excellence or merit in one of various areas including voluntary work in the community.
Stevie, who is a retired forestry worker, said he was happy to receive the Community Award. He has never owned a television set, he said, and likes to get up and out very early – often before 6am.
SDCC secretary Alistair Lawrie said: ”For me I’d like to thank Steven on behalf of SDCC and the wider community of Stonehaven for all the good work he does so tirelessly and so selflessly.”
And comunity council member Jim Stephen said: ”Stevie sees it as his wee job. He’s up and out the door very early to do his morning round of litter picking and then will do an afternoon round after the schools go back after lunch.
”He loves it, as he meets lots of people and he says it keeps him busy.”
And Horizon Group convenor John Cruickshank said: ”Stevie is not a member of Horizon Group, but everything he does is in the spirit of Horizon’s aims, so we very much appreciate all he does for the town.
”Stonehaven would be a far less lovely place if Stevie was not keeping on top of all the litter.”
