Across the Stirling Council area, volunteers are being encouraged to help make their communities resilient during harsh winter conditions. The Winter Service Plan provides for an expansion of the Winter Community Volunteer Scheme, following successful pilot schemes last year in Bridge of Allan and Killin. The scheme is open to groups or members of the local community who wish to offer their spare time to clear snow or spread salt along public footways and footpaths in their streets and housing estates. Volunteers will not be asked clear footways and footpaths that are already included within the council’s Winter Service Plan. Training and a full range of equipment, including high-visibility waistcoats, gloves, hats, snow-shovels and grit-spreaders will be provided.
Cllr Jen Preston commented on the proposal as follows: “We value and appreciate the many ways in which people are willing to reach out and support their local communities at all times of the year. As a council, we have to prioritise where we concentrate our efforts during winter and it would be impossible for us to grit every footpath and footway when snow or ice occurs. In winter, we focus on gritting priority routes, which pose the greatest risk to safety if not treated."
“People in Bridge of Allan and Killin welcomed the opportunity to give back to the neighbourhoods in which they live and work. Volunteers felt a sense of wellbeing and teamwork, while fostering even greater community spirit. This is not about replacing a council service. It is about empowering and enabling communities to deal with winter weather conditions in areas where the council does not (or cannot) reach in the course of its standard operations during periods of exceptional weather events.”
Interested?
BLS Community Council is wondering whether there is any interest in our villages for volunteers to take up a role in this scheme and is willing to coordinate local responses in our villages and assist volunteers in registering for the scheme. If you are interested in volunteering for this work, please do contact David Johnston.