Thurso volunteers planning BIG clean up of Riverside area

2nd October 2017

The Pay it Forward Thurso collective have been very busy in recent weeks cleaning up various areas of Thurso. They have worked to weed along Victoria Walk and the Esplanade area. The activity by the group has encouraged residents of Thurso to go out and clean up their own areas of the town. Two young brothers Kian and Jayden Mackay completed a litter pick around their home in Harold Drive and a weeding mission was completed by the residents of Bower Court on the pathways surrounding their homes.

Keeping the momentum going and keen to make the most of the autumnal weather before winter sets in Pay it Forward Thurso in conjunction with Thurso Town Improvements Association are preparing for the BIG Riverside clean this weekend Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th October from 10am - 4pm. Core members of each group will be at the Riverside conducting a mass weeding session and would love for the town to support them in this by as many volunteers coming along as possible. Graeme Mcdonald of Thurso Town Improvements said, "We will be there all day on both days and folks are welcome to come along for the same or just drop in for an hour to do a bit of weeding. We really want to try and clear as much of the West side of the River as possible as the path there is becoming very encroached and becomes very slippery in wet and icy weather so doing this before winter is a must."

The hope from the event is to turn weeding into a real community party with a good feeling amongst volunteers. Food and refreshments will be available and by kind permission of Caithness Rugby Club access to the clubrooms has been given to provide this. To cover costs of the clean up a crowdfunding campaign has been launched which is still open to donations further details can be found at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/thurso-riverside-big-clean-up

Any funds raised in addition to what is required for this event will be donated to Thurso Town Improvements Association to help their efforts in lighting the upper Riverside walk. Business support has also been very forthcoming with a generous donation of tools from Serendipity and Dounreay Site Restoration Limited providing the loan of equipment for the weekend.

In addition to the BIG Riverside Clean Up Pay it Forward Thurso are investigating the possibility of hosting a community Christmas Day Dinner in a local hall for those who may find themselves alone at Christmas or would like to enjoy a community get together on the day. This is in the very early stages of planning but anyone interested in volunteering or who can help the group with this event should get in touch via email to [email protected]. Joan Lawrie of Pay it Forward Thurso said, "Since launching the Facebook page the amount of interest has been overwhelming, these ideas are coming from the community there are so many hard working community hero's in the town who don't hesitate to offer their help from weeding in the pouring rain to offering to give up their Christmas so that others can have a day to remember. It very much warms the heart. We would love to see lots of people doing the same over the BIG Riverside Clean up weekend and giving their support to the town."

Pay it Forward Thurso is a collective of volunteers interested in building community spirit in Thurso. Led by community suggestions of activities that can be carried out, more information can be found on the facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pifThurso

Thurso Town Improvements Association
http://www.thurso.org

PHOTO
A few of the volunteers at a clean-up