Arran Banner Leader: The power of community spirit

There are more than a few people on Arran who pick up litter during their daily dog walking sessions and their leisurely excursions.

While seemingly a small gesture, the power that these individual efforts combined can have came into sharp focus at the recent Brodick beach clean when around 40 individuals helped pick up litter.

Within an hour the car park and beach looked noticeably cleaner and neater. And once the easy pickings were dealt with and the volunteers moved on to smaller, harder to reach items, the benefits of the initiative really shone through.

It is also fair to say the volunteers, young and old, enjoyed the activity and worked at a leisurely pace, however, their combined efforts made light work of the large area that was thoroughly cleansed.

The strength of their combined toil became very evident very quickly, but most of all, the largest realisation to emerge from the initiative was the sheer number of people who were willing to sacrifice their sunny Sunday morning to help pick up litter that they were not responsible for.

It may sound trite to say, but the power of Arran’s community spirit really shone through last Sunday.