Barrhead Rotary Club are launching a new community initiative this week to help keep the streets free of litter.

Meeting outside the Barrhead Foundry at 10.30am on Saturday September 14, the Rotary Club encourages anybody interested in contributing to the local area to come down and get involved with friendly, like-minded individuals.

"Rotary is about service, and this initiative is about serving the local community, building local links and getting people involved to improve the area," said Angela Samson, secretary and former president of Barrhead Rotary.

“This is the first litter pick we’ve organised, but it’s something we want to do on a regular basis moving forward. Hopefully, it takes off and people want to get involved. There’s a lot of litter to be picked!”

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Angela has been involved with Barrhead Rotary since 2010 and says that the organisation is shaking off its “stuffy” reputation.

“Rotary is different now to what it used to be,” she said. “People have the impression that we’re all men in suits. But it’s much more informal and friendly than that.

“People don’t want stuffed shirts anymore. We’ve totally rebranded, it’s very informal and fun these days.

“We meet at 10.30am every second Saturday at Dalmeny Park Hotel. We just sit around and discuss local issues over a morning roll and a cup of tea. It’s all just a good laugh really - as well as a relaxed way to support lots of great causes.”

The Provost of East Renfrewshire Council, Mary Montague, has also thrown her support behind the new litter-picking initiative.

“The local Rotary Club in Barrhead has been doing great community service for over 50 years,” the Provost said. “This is a simple but great initiative to help improve the appearance of the area and help people feel safer."

All are warmly encouraged to come down to the litter pick on Saturday morning, not just Rotary members, with equipment provided on the day.

For more information about the initiative or Barrhead Rotary’s other work, contact Angela Samson on 07981 333 391 or email mail@barrheadrotary.co.uk.