Spring Cleaning in the Highlands

30th March 2009

Tomorrow (Wednesday 1st April) sees the launch of this years National Spring Clean month. This event, organised by Keep Scotland Beautiful, encourages groups of volunteers who have an interest in their locality to get out and undertake a spring clean.

In the Highlands there are 32 groups who have so far registered an event involving almost 1500 volunteers, both young and old who will participate in removing litter or larger rubbish from areas around their neighbourhood.

The Highland Council has again been heavily involved in the Spring Clean with officers supplying litter pickers, bags, gloves and providing vehicles to remove the collected items.

Chairman of TEC Services, Councillor John Laing said: "With the tourist season just around the corner, April is the ideal time to tackle the problem of litter and tidy up our communities. Rubbish which is fly-tipped is a danger to wildlife and passers by and makes the environment look untidy. In the Highlands we relay enormously on tourists visiting us and it is important that people leave with a good impression. I wish all the volunteers who are going to be doing their bit every success and I urge as many people to get involved so we can actively promote the Highlands as an attractive place to come and spend time in."

The first event takes place tomorrow (1 April) with Strathdearn Primary school and local community volunteers undertaking a spring clean in and around their village.

It still not too late for any interested community group to take part and anyone interested should contact the following officers for their area for advice and assistance:.

Caithness, Sutherland , Easter Ross - James Sanderson Tel No - 01349 853778

Ross, Skye , Lochaber - Ian Wilson Tel No - 01349 868673

Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey - Peter Taylor Tel No - 01463 703153