Plastic Free Helensburgh Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 7 May 2024
Back to Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group — 7 May 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Report to H&L CPG 7th May 2024 Angela Anderson I continue to represent H&L at CPG Climate Change Group meetings and monthly steering group meetings with the Climate Change Project Manager. Plastic Free Helensburgh We have had a busy time, with talks to various groups including Grey Matters and St Michaels Episcopal Church. The last Saturday of the month Beach Cleans began in March and despite the gale we managed to collect a lot of rubbish from the grass at the East Bay on the 13 th April National Clean Up day. With the benefit of a grant money from ABCAN the new Argyll and Bute Climate Action network we ran a number of events and purchased more litter pickers and a quantity of buckets and tubs to reduce the number of plastic bags we use on our cleans. The First Event was “A Big Conversation”, we invited groups active in the environment, cleaning, greening, caring for and growing to get together and find out about each other what our joint needs, strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are. Around 45 people attended representing over 50 groups. The SWOT analysis was lead by Norman McNally and we continue this project. PFH provided equipment, refreshments, a skip and support for a big clean at the playing fields and portacabin at Kirkmichael. The KCDG followed this up with a meeting and local people came forward fill the committee and restart the group. Again through ABCAN funding we supplied a skip, equipment and refreshments for a successful clean at Hermitage Park where a large quantity of decaying rubbish was collected from corners and under bushes, plus a 14 litre bucket of fresh rubbish collected by a preschool girl and here dad from the fenced play area. We are planning a similar event for the Churchill Square Area. We were approach by the US consulate Edinburgh and had a meeting with a leading National Geographic Explorer and U.S. State Department Speaker Rachael Miller, comparing notes and showing rubbish from our beaches and the situation across the oceans. We have also responded and collaborated on a number of ScotGov consultations. As part of Plastic Free Scotland we are active with a group of mainly NGO’s in the Circular Economy Bill progression. Time for Change Argyll and Bute Climate Cafes have been set up in Oban and Lochgilphead. Currently TfC is considering strategies and priorities for the coming year.