Offenders subject to community service orders across the whole of Scotland will be busy collecting litter and cleaning up local areas this weekend to support the Keep Scotland Beautiful Spring Clean campaign.
In Highland 75 offenders who are being supervised by the Criminal Justice Service within The Highland Council's Social Work Service are scheduled to take part in the first national-wide Community Service clean up event.
On Saturday and Sunday (24th and 25th April 2010) in Caithness a team will be removing litter from the banks of the Wick river and the area around the caravan park. In Alness the beach area between Alness Point and the old Catalina flying boat base will be cleaned and on Saturday rubbish will be cleared from the Big Burn which runs through Golspie. In Lochaber the workers will concentrate on the shore area around the Old Fort in Fort William and the community woodland paths on the lower slopes of Cow Hill. In the Inverness Area work will be carried out at Ardersier Beach as well as the burn running through Inches Retail Park and the popular dog walking area at Milton of Culloden. Over on Skye the clean up will take place on Friday 23 with a beach and riverbank clean up in and around Portree.
Chairman of The Highland Council's Housing and Social Work Committee, Councillor Margaret Davidson welcomed the opportunity for offenders to support the Keep Scotland Beautiful Spring Clean Campaign. She said: "Community Service schemes in the Highlands currently undertake a wide range of work including environmental work to clean up and improve the sight and use of local areas in our communities. This is the first time the service has linked in with the Spring Clean campaign which I know many individuals and community volunteer groups have been involved with. The focus next weekend in removing rubbish is very worthwhile and constructive. The clean up efforts will make a real difference to the local communities and is a great way to show how Community Service can work alongside national voluntary campaigns and with members of the public to benefit our environment."
In Highland in 2008-2009 31,782 hours of unpaid work was undertaken following the issuing of 274 Community Service orders and 178 Probation Orders.