The ground is not the bin!

I saw this wording on a sign in Mallaig - very simple and straight to the point! We could do with a few here in Oban. My friend Charles, on the right above, organised a Keep Oban Beautiful litter-pick this afternoon in the area behind the Corran Halls. For a building which could be thought of as the social hub of the town, where concerts, craft fairs and many other events take place, it's sad to see the surroundings dirty, unkempt and full of rubbish. Flower beds unweeded - or even unplanted - and cans and bottles everywhere!

Nine of us turned up with bags and litter-pickers and collected a sizeable load of rubbish which went into the Corran Halls bins, as well as a couple of bags of glass bottles which ended up in their recycling bin. I really don't know how people can see this sort of mess and go on about how beautiful a place Oban is. Like most places I expect, Oban has both beauty and ugliness.

We have another couple of litter-picks on the calendar and are also working towards our annual 'Oban Spring Clean' which takes place on the last weekend of March, ready for the start of the tourist season. I'd like to see this year having a record-breaking spring clean!