Residents pull together to transform Balintore scheme in Easter Ross with lockdown labour of love
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A HUGE clean up in an Easter Ross village during the lockdown has brought the whole community together.
After two residents got the ball rolling by tidying up the area known as 'The Scheme' in Balintore, in the Seaboard villages, other householders have pulled together to turn a "forgotten" area into a shining example of what can be achieved with a bit of elbow grease.
The area, which comprises around 200 council-owned properties was put up to accommodate workers at the nearby Nigg oil rig, in the 1970s.
Linda Pettigrew, on behalf of the Balintore District Residents Group thanked all the volunteer cleaners for their hard work.
She said: "John Freil and David Smith both of Lochslin Place decided to clean up an area at the back of their own houses which was overgrown and untidy. They then had a general look about and as both were not working due to Covid-19 they decided to tidy up the area close by.
"This then encouraged Jamie Holloway, to tackle another part of Lochslin Place. Carrie Gordon, Gemma Simpson, Senga Sutherland, and others got to work in Rannoch Place.
"Megan Purvis then put out a call for helpers in Abbotshaven and over the last week the housing scheme has been alive with volunteers young and old working to improve the whole area. "Every section of the housing scheme has had a little touch of magic sprinkled over and the end result is outstanding."
One resident said: "It has been amazing what has been happening during the lockdown.People are walking about with smiles on their faces. And it is wonderful to live here."
She added: "There are still areas that we want to work on, but it is great to see that by us all pulling together we are seeing such huge changes in the area."
Norma Balfour, who was chair of Balintore and Hilton Community Council, which is now in abeyance, said: "It is absolutely wonderful that during the coronavirus, in the middle of the global pandemic, that the people in this area of the villages have come together and have made a lasting difference in their own community.
"I myself was one of the first residents in Rannoch Place and it was a very happy caring community then. Many that grew up in the ‘Scheme’, remember it affectionately as such, throughout the world.
"I have been supporting the Covid–19 response over the last few months, and there have been so many heartbreaking stories of people who have suffered more than others.
"What I have seen at the scheme has been a sign of some of the wonderful things that have been happening, communities that are coming together so that everyone is looked after."
Highland Council have encouraged the collaborative work, and have provided a skip for residents to place all the rubbish. They have also agreed to refer to the area as The Village.
Tain councillor Fiona Robertson said: "It is truly wonderful to see the remarkable difference that residents in Balintore have made in recent weeks. There has been a total transformation of the area. This has been a huge community effort and it is amazing what can be achieved when everyone works together in partnership. I hope this work can continue and that Highland Council will do all it can to work with the residents to support future work."
