We joined a volunteer conservation group in Paisley on one of their regular litter picks - to hear about how Sustrans Scotland’s Love Your Network project is supporting them to take care of the National Cycle Network.
Volunteering as a way of connecting with your community
For people with a learning disability, opportunities to access different community experiences can be difficult to come by.
Part of the Renfrewshire Learning Disability Service, Community Networks offers a rolling programme of volunteering experiences for local people living with a learning disability.
Included in this programme is a conservation group, based at Spinners Gate Resource Centre in Paisley.
The conservation group works in partnership with other volunteers within the local and wider community.
Alongside other volunteering activities like beach cleans and tree planting, the group carries out regular litter picks on their local National Cycle Network paths.
The conservation group gathering at Spinners Gate Resource Centre, before heading out to a litter pick. Credit: Michael Kelly/Sustrans.
New litter picking equipment through Love Your Network
This past year, Sustrans Scotland’s Love your Network has enabled the conservation group to access equipment that makes litter picking easier and safer.
Through the project, the group has been able to buy hi-vis vests, hoops, bags, pickers, gloves and – most beloved of all – carts, which make light work of heavy bags and items like glass bottles.
This new equipment is supporting the group to safely carry out regular litter picks along National Cycle Network Route 7, keeping the paths pleasant and welcoming for the community to use.
The group litter picking on the National Cycle Network Route 7. Credit: Michael Kelly/Sustrans.
The personal impact on volunteers
Carrying out the litter picks on foot along traffic-free paths weaving through woodland and greenspace, the volunteers can access local nature whilst working together as a group.
The paths are well-used, meaning volunteers meet and interact with walkers and cyclists along the way, who often thank them for a job well done.
This all makes for an accessible and rewarding experience for the group’s volunteers.
Ultimately, it improves their health and boosts their sense of belonging to their local community.
At the end of each walk, dropping off bags at the recycling centre and seeing the paths clean and tidy gives the group a real sense of achievement – followed by a well-deserved lunch.
The volunteers litter picking on the National Cycle Network Route 7. Credit: Michael Kelly/Sustrans.
Improving the local community for everyone
As the volunteers reap the benefits, so does the local community.
The National Cycle Network Route 7 is a key link in Renfrewshire, used daily by people of all ages to get to school, to work, and to the shops – and simply to get outside and get some exercise.
Alison Bonnar, the Team Leader for Community Networks at Spinners Gate Resource Centre, told us:
“The National Cycle Network is an inclusive network. And I think that what we're trying to do through the litter picks is to make sure it’s kept accessible to all.
“Enabling our group to get out and about, volunteering within their own community, and to be visible within the National Cycle Network - these are all positives, and it makes the community not as scary a place.”
The volunteers gather for a group photo outside Spinners Gate Resoure Centre in Paisley. Credit: Michael Kelly/Sustrans.
Love Your Network supports community groups across Scotland in making their local, traffic-free sections of the National Cycle Network more attractive and enjoyable for everyone, by providing equipment for litter picking and maintenance.
