There’s so much to be proud of in Monklands

Apr 15 2009 by Eric Wright, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

Drumpellier Country Park

MONKLANDS towns and villages have been entered into this year’s Beautiful Scotland Awards.

Airdrie, Coatbridge, Bargeddie, Caldercruix, Gartcosh, Glenboig, Glenmavis and Plains have been nominated by North Lanarkshire Council.

A total of 22 towns across the county are in the running for the Neighbourhood Awards, a “noncompetitive scheme which recognises efforts towards environmental improvements within North Lanarkshire”.

The council hopes residents will be encouraged to get involved in their community, with activities such as planting flowers in an area of disused ground, cleaning up litter in problem areas or installing bird or bat boxes to support local wildlife.

And they say they are able to offer advice and support to anyone who wants to lend a hand.

Councillor Helen McKenna, convener of Environmental Services, said: “We want everyone in North Lanarkshire to get something out of this campaign. It’s time we showed our critics that there’s more to this area than its industrial past.

“There’s so much here to be proud of. We have beautiful parks, excellent sports facilities, superb wildlife reserves, fantastic scenery and people that really care about where they live. Beautiful Scotland gives us an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that and to highlight the excellent work that’s going on across the area.

“There’s so much going on in North Lanarkshire that’s worthy of recognition. The council has been working with communities for a long time on a wide range of environmental improvement projects that make a real difference to how people feel about the areas they live in.

“That’s something we want to continue, and entering into the Beautiful Scotland Awards is an excellent way to mark our commitment to ongoing investment in quality of life in North Lanarkshire.”