Glasgow woman wins city green award for cleaning up Castlemilk

“I am very proud of my community,” she beams, wiping away a tear.

The Castlemilk community is equally proud of Beata.

This inspirational woman, who came to Glasgow from Poland 10 years ago with husband Christophe and sons Michael, 25 and Alan, 10, is the driving force behind a huge clean-up effort in the area’s parks and woodlands.

Her work has been recognised in the Glasgow Times Streets Ahead awards, supported by Glasgow City Council, City Charitable Trust, City Building and People Make Glasgow Greener.

As well as rallying neighbours and friends together for weekly litter-picks, Beata and her friends have improved footpaths, forest school areas, streets and more.

Each week the group removes around 50 binbags of rubbish, improving footpaths and forest school sites, and inspiring others to care for their outdoor spaces.

Beata has also undergone training to raise awareness of digital resources and helped secure funding for future projects, demonstrating great positivity and skill in bringing the people of Castlemilk together for the benefit of all.

“I am very surprised and very happy,” she says. “It started one day during lockdown, when I was walking my dog and realised how much rubbish there was.

“My friends and family have been so helpful, I’m grateful to them all.

READ MORE: Meet the Glasgow kids who have turned into superheroes to clean up city streets

“During lockdown, outdoor space became so much more important to us all so it is good to look after it.”

Alex Effinger, of Cassiltoun Housing Association, says Beata’s win shows that “everyone is needed and everyone can have an impact, no matter how small you start.”

She adds: “The community is benefitting massively from what she is doing - she is motivating people to come together.”

Like Beata, many people in Glasgow go above and beyond to keep the city’s treets, parks, businesses, and communities cleaner and more environmentally friendly.

As the city prepares to welcome COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in November, this category was introduced to Streets Ahead as part of the city’s People Make Glasgow Greener strategy.

We received many fantastic nominations - proof that Glasgow is bursting at the seams with people who step up and get involved in positive action to ensure the city is greener for all.

RUNNERS-UP

SUSAN WILSON

Susan is a one-woman powerhouse in Glasgow’s east end, bringing schools, nurseries, businesses and residents together on a whole range of growing and gardening projects.

In addition to her day job, as a community champion for a local superstore, Susan gives up hours of her free time to plant, weed, harvest and distribute around her community, inspiring residents, young and old, to look after their green spaces.

“Susan has made an immeasurable impact on communities across the east end for some years, breaking down barriers and encouraging social interaction,” says fellow volunteer David Stewart.

GORBALS MEN’S SHED

Gorbals Men’s Shed brings together men who may be suffering from isolation and loneliness to work on a range of projects, including litter-picking and working with recycled wood.

It has had huge benefits not just to the gents involved, but to the whole Gorbals community as Men’s Shed participants are on hand to help with a variety of projects.

CASTLECROFT RESIDENTS

Castlecroft Residents in Croftfoot work tirelessly to improve the local area.

They have created a beautiful Poppy Lane which pays tribute to local people lost in both world wars.

The poignant memorial is part of a lovely space for relaxation transformed by hard-working locals keen to create a community hub.