Join in clear up of Jock's Burn in Carluke!

Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership is calling on people of all ages and backgrounds to lend a hand to spruce up this little oasis of nature in Carluke.

A range of different dates have been organised to allow as many people as possible to join in.

Sessions will be managed by Clydesdale Community Initiatives (CCI) together with the partnership, and they will be supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Initial work will focus on clearing litter, removing debris from the burn and tidying up and repairing steps.

South Lanarkshire Council will assist in path repairs and safety measures.

The partnership’s Make Your Way arts, heritage and active travel campaign team will be putting on complementary activities alongside some of the environmental volunteering activities to provide a community buzz.

Jock’s Burn is one of the few places in Carluke where people can experience nature and see the type of growth that used to cover a wider area.

The importance of Jock’s Burn to local people has been highlighted in community consultations, and it has been identified as a vital corridor for people to walk and cycle to work and school by the Make Your Way project.

Popular with dog-walkers, it will soon be home to a new school orchard through a project with Central Scotland Green Network Trust, Carluke Development Trust and seven primary schools.

Volunteers are asked to join clean-up and improvement sessions between 10.30am and 2pm on Tuesday, January 17, and Wednesday, January 18, and Tuesdays, February 7 and 14, and Wednesdays, February 1, 8, 15 and 22.

Volunteers are also being asked to take smartphones, tablets and recording devices along next Tuesday to help record activities, memories and the local environment.

And on Wednesday January 18 they can see Jock’s Burn in a new light by joining the Make Your Way team for periscope view-finding walks similar to those held in Carluke town centre at Christmas.

The Make Your Way project is also working with schoolchildren to highlight how Jock’s Burn could be used for outdoor learning, as well as producing maps and developing signage to highlight it as a local greenspace as part of a wider walking and cycling network.

“Getting involved in the volunteering days will be a tremendous help to continuing the regeneration of Jock’s Burn for local residents,” said Kirsten Robb, the partnership’s development officer for the Make Your Way project.

“We know there have been problems with sewage in the burn, fly-tipping in the woods and some anti-social behaviour, but it is actions like volunteering with CCI and engaging with Make Your Way project activities that let the community reclaim the woodlands as a safe and enjoyable place to walk, cycle and play.”

To find out more, and to sign up to join in volunteering sessions with CCI, phone 01555 664 211 or send an email to [email protected]

You can also find out more and see what opportunities are available to schools and communities by visiting www.clydeandavonvalley.org/make-your-way