DOZENS of residents in a Johnstone community have been staging a clearing-up operation to help keep their area looking spick and span.

With some spare time on their hands during the ongoing lockdown, the ‘clean team’ in Spateston has tackled overgrown bushes and removed litter.

Lewis Nesbitt, chair of the Spateston Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, said more than 30 volunteers have been involved.

“It was a collective idea from the committee,” Lewis told The Gazette.

“We put up a couple of posts on social media, asking if people could volunteer to tidy up their own area, such as around their own house.

“From there, we managed to complete some bigger projects that were actually waiting to be done by the association or Renfrewshire Council.”

One of the tasks involved the removal of large bushes that had been obscuring one resident’s view.

Lewis said: “These bushes were about three storeys high and all the tenants got together to take them away.

“I can’t believe what they managed to achieve with just hand tools. They’ve done a cracking job. It’s made a big difference.”

Volunteers have also been clearing litter at the side of a burn in Spateston Park and an area in the north of the neighbourhood known locally as ‘Bouncy Bridge,’ with steps being taken to observe social distancing guidelines.

Lewis added: “Families have been litter-picking together, sanitising as we go.

“I would like to say a massive thank-you to everyone who has been helping out. They are role models for our community.

“We want residents to use their initiative to tackle issues in the local community and not always rely on the council to do it for them.

“This will help to instil more civic pride in the area and allow for residents to value the place where they stay.”

The Spateston Tenants’ and Residents’ Association is hoping this goodwill will continue after the lockdown, with members keen to implement more community-led planning in the future as part of the Scottish Government’s new Place Plan initiative.

Committee members aim to publish their Community Place Plan later this year, which would make Spateston only the second area in Scotland to do so.

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond

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