With a picturesque panorama over the Firth of Forth Gypsy Braes should be the kind of spot where you can sit out in the sun and relax and enjoy the view and the various budding and blossoming trees in the background. Unfortunately when we arrived on Tuesday the undergrowth was stuffed full of gleaming piles of refuse, which our large group got started on with enthusiasm.
Binbag upon binbag of various assorted debris soon piled up near the entrance to the park; the volunteers got the chance to view a vast range of unwanted consumer goods including dirty nappies, beer bottles, bagged-up dog mess, crisp packets, chocolate wrappers, rusty prams and more besides. Once more bags appeared after lunch we doubled our output, and got a little help from the site-rangers towards the end of the day.
The sun shone for most of the day and kept our spirits up and by the time three o’ clock came, the Braes were more green than white; not quite pristine clean but nearly restored to their former lush glory. All our VOs will be heading down there in summer for a spot of sunbathing and photo-taking…
Wednesday’s task was more of the same, only this time the surroundings were not quite as pretty – we were litter-picking at Silverknowes Park. It was a grey overcast day, with occasional drizzling rain making everyone glad for the shelter of the few trees on site. It wasn’t quite as dirty as Gypsy Brae but there was still enough litter to keep us going until three o’clock, and the boys from the council had plenty black bags to throw into their truck at the end of the day.
The fantastic range of litter was similar to the previous day’s with the addition of about twenty golf balls of varying standard. There was golf on view at lunchtime if anyone cared to see it and after lunch some of the group got started on some crown-lifting, which is cutting the lower branches of the tree to let light and air in and also to provide easier access for people moving past the trees. There are still a few white spots in amongst the green but once again people power made a big difference and Silverknowes Park has almost been restored to it’s former glory thanks to BTCV.
To view photos of past and present projects and our volunteers in action please click here