Three youngsters have demonstrated their commitment to their local environment by helping to clean up Clachan of Campsie.
Brothers Leon (11), James (9) and Raphi (7), have shown tremendous community spirit by using their time during lockdown to help rid the area of rubbish.
The area has been overrun with visitors recently with huge numbers of people flocking to Clachan of Campsie last weekend (30-31 May) following the easing of some lockdown restrictions and the local beauty spot was left in quite a mess. The Council streetscene team cleared 37 bags of litter from Campsie Glen but Clachan of Campsie had already been cleared – led by Leon, James and Raphi.
Joint Council Leader Vaughan Moody was impressed at the youngsters' efforts, saying, “We were really disappointed to see so many people flocking to this local beauty spot at the weekend and that there was so much litter and discarded clothing left behind. Leon, James and Raphi did an amazing job clearing up. They are a credit to their community and show what local volunteering can do to help look after the environment.”
Joint Council Leader Andrew Polson added, “It’s fitting to promote this story in national Volunteers Week. The boys are a great example of what local people can do to look after their local environment. Many more throughout the area have also been helping to keep their surroundings clean and pleasant in recent months, and it is great to see. We’d also re-emphasise that people should continue to follow the guidance to stay at home, stay within 5 miles of home for recreation and exercise and to always observe social distancing. We should not have crowds gathering in the numbers we saw last weekend.”
The brothers are following in the footsteps of their mother who was involved in a similar campaign to clean the area with her friends when she was a child growing up in Clachan of Campsie more than 30 years ago.
Leon said, “We love Campsie Glen and the nature here. You can swim in the linns and make dens. I think other people should be allowed to come here and enjoy this beautiful place, but I am shocked about the amount of litter people leave behind ruining it. It’s really selfish. We wanted to do something about it and started the Campsie Litter Campaign - #CampsieLitterFree."
James continued, “We think that people need to understand that it should not be children picking up other peoples’ litter, but it is all our joint responsibility to keep our planet clean. It's dangerous to have broken glass everywhere too."
Raphi added, “There are lots of animals which have their habitats in Campsie Glen. I am learning about habitats in school and I think the litter is not good for them."
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