Early 2016 saw the start of various ‘group’ activities, and one of the most popular was (and still is) the Litter Clearance Group. Initially this was focused on Brunstane Burn, both in Magdalene Glen and downstream from Brunstane Station.
There is a separate post for Brunstane Burn where is passes through the woodland downstream from the station and Donkeyfield, due to the Conservation Group’s involvement here. Both sections of the burn have been cleaned up at regular intervals, with huge amounts of litter and other stuff removed.
Magdalene Glen has needed a lot of attention, and has been a regular meeting place since early 2016. Turnout is usually impressive. They are never just timebank events, but are advertised widely in Maureen Child’s newsletter, and in Facebook which results not only in local residents coming out to get involved, but often family groups from further afield as well.
The following movie by Laurence in April 2017 shows the unblocking of the ‘grating’ at the entrance to the culvert before the burn goes under Milton Link, Range car park and the railway. It shows about 90 minutes condensed into 33 seconds. Observe the water level at the beginning and the end!
In 2018 we progressed to a more preventative approach – we conducted a survey to quantify the scale of the problem, and presented it to our local councillors, Maureen Child, Mary Campbell and Kate Campbell. This resulted in the addition of two new bins, and proposals to Asda and The Range from MP Tommy Sheppard.
By November 2019 a noticeable improvement in the overall level of litter was apparent, so maybe we are starting to have a long term impact.