By Marion Montgomery
PLASTIC Free Stonehaven is calling the community to join in with a clean up day this Saturday, 21st March for what it hopes will become an annual day on the calendar – the ‘Stoney Spring Clean’!
Many communities around the world including Shetland hold annual community clean up days when the whole community comes together to do what they can to clean the local area to protect the environment and ensure places are clean, safe and welcoming for all to enjoy.
It’s a concept similar to the ‘Da Voar Redd Up’ in Shetland – the UK’s most successful community litter-picking event. The Redd Up makes a huge contribution to the protection of Shetland’s natural environment and wildlife, clearing beaches, coastlines and roadsides of litter and the debris washed up by winter storms.
This is what we’d love to start with this event in Stonehaven on Saturday 21st March during the national #springcleanscotland campaign organised by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
What’s involved?
It’s super simple – the idea being, if we all do a little – cleaning up any litter outside our door, whether a home and/or business, & maybe sweeping away any weeds – it adds up to a huge collective community effort for the whole town.
What if folk aren’t free on the 21st March? They can do it a few days before or after. It all adds up and helps make our beautiful town look its best for the Easter holidays. It also supports our local businesses by making it an attractive destination.
Marion Montgomery of Plastic Free Stonehaven said: ”We hope that the whole community gets behind this Clean Up day. Stonehaven is such a special place with an amazing volunteering spirit. We regularly get about 40 volunteers of all ages to our monthly community beach cleans.
”While these and other clean ups make a big difference, if the whole community gets behind this Clean Up day, we can have a huge impact all over the town, leaving it clean and safe for all of us. If everyone spends just 5 minutes tidying up around their own home or business it will just be amazing!’