Dunfermline Delivers leads Clean Up Squad in High Street

On Wednesday 12 June, a clean-up squad of volunteers arrived in Dunfermline High Street to spruce up the large landscaped area in front of the bus station, otherwise known as the gap site. Lisa Edwards, BID manager and the team at Dunfermline Delivers is leading the team of nearly 30 people who will be giving the area a make-over. Avant Homes donated nearly 20 staff for the whole day. Lisa Edwards said: “For one single company to provide this many staff for the full day is a very significant contribution to Dunfermline town centre and we’d like to thank them for the generosity in helping the High Street. Even better, their staff which include builders and gardeners, have brought some brilliant skills to the project. Other businesses helping on the day include the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Sew Yarn Crafty and Tax Assist Accountants. Bryan Beveridge the Butchers is providing his homemade pies for the volunteers lunch.” Every year Dunfermline Delivers coordinates at least three town centre clean ups with volunteers as part of the Business in the Community (BITC) project. Previous projects include an area behind the Kinema Restaurant, near the Gilliespie Church and an overgrown site near Home Start in Bruce Street.  BITC projects target specific areas which are neglected supplementing, not replacing existing Council services. Avant Homes chief operating officer, Mark Mitchell, said: “We were really pleased to join the team from Dunfermline Delivers as part of our Day to Make a Difference initiative, which saw the entire business donate a day of time to projects across Scotland and support great causes like this. “It was fantastic to see the impact that the project made and everyone had a great time getting out into the community and playing our part in the Clean-up Squad.” The clean-up projects have played a key part in Dunfermline’s first successful shortlisting for the UK-wide Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom Awards, as featured in The Daily Telegraph. Lisa said: “Thanks to all the Business in the Community volunteers. Their efforts will be a huge help when the judges from the Britain in Bloom Awards arrive to assess Dunfermline town centre during the first week of August. There’s a huge amount of work goes into the Britain in Bloom competition and it would be a big coup to win this UK award at the ceremony in October.”