A NEW group is hoping to clean up Girvan’s act after being inspired by determined Ayr volunteers.

Town Action Group (TAG) Girvan, has now launched after one resident felt determined to “brighten” up the tired looking streets of her town after seeing TAG Ayr transform locations up the road.

Lynne Sykes made contact with Maxine of TAG Ayr to start the Girvan version of the group, and last week a team of 16 volunteers helped fill 36 bags as they completed their first project of cleaning up the Harbour area.

Lynne told the Advertiser how she wants to bring back a sense of civic pride back to Girvan.

She said: “It’s all gathered momentum very quickly, the folk in Girvan have been brilliant. We had 16 turn up on Sunday including school age kids. We did really well we tided up the Harbour area, it’s where buses stop, it’s been looking neglected and wasn’t looking great. It was mainly overgrown weeds some rubbish and leaves lying.”

The clean up was held a success, but Lynne and others were shocked to find what appeared to be at first a dead bird lying in amongst the leaves, but was instead a polystyrene ornament.

Lynne joked: “The kids were cleaning this area and I thought it was a dead cat, or a pheasant. We were panicked as we didn’t know what it was going to be. I got one of the guys to go in and it turned out to be someone’s ornament of a chicken.”

The group is now focused on taking on other projects, but Lynne hopes it will inspire others to pick up after themselves.

The mum who also works as a nurse believes some time out every a week can make the difference in a town.

Lynne said: “I hope it changes the mind set that people think a bit more about where they live.

“People have to take control. My 11-year-old son said the skatepark he goes to is a mess, I told him to get his friends together and do something about it, it’s about changing attitudes.

“I work night shift. Sunday was just a couple of hours, there is no fundraising needed, just a couple of hours each week is all that’s needed.”