Topic outline

  • Introduction

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    Have a look at how a generous contribution of a container in Waterside, East Dunbartonshire, was turned into a beautiful key storage resource for local environmental group Luggiewatch and the wider community.

    This course of action is described by long-term Luggiewatcher Deborah Carmichael, currently the chair of the group:


  • The Transformation

    A year before the pandemic hit we had the good fortune to be gifted a large container which we filled with our river clean-up gear, wheel barrows, litter bins and pickers, tools and all our specialised safety equipment, gloves, hi-vis clothing and the like. 





    It was a large orange highly useful item but not very pleasing to the eye. We had plans to make it more appealing but because of circumstances had not been able to do anything or decide on a look.

    Lockdown hit our group hard, we had to stop all our activities and in March we faced the prospect of not meeting or interacting with each other or in our local environment indefinitely. 

    An email from a friend in Canada arrived showing a community bin decorated in the colours of the rainbow. It struck a cord with us, Environment, Diversity, Inclusion. It was the only way to go, we were going to paint our container as a rainbow.

    Selecting colours and making the right paint matches was facilitated by a very helpful staff member at B&Q and with his advice as to the type of paint for maximum coverage and durability we had our 7 litre pots of paint to fit the bill. 

    Seven Colours        

    RED ORANGE YELLOW GREEN BLUE INDIGO VIOLET

    Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain

    Read Out Your Good Book In Verse

    Rinse Out Your Granny’s Boots In Vinegar

    It was the perfect activity we could do it as Covid restrictions still allowed exercise and it could be done distanced, so this is how we proceeded.

    We lined out the container with chalk in vertical stripes equally distanced and wrapped that idea round 2 faces of the container. These faces were to be seen by passers by, the other two sides would be dark green to blend in with the trees that backed the box.

    We then separated each colour with masking tape, overlapped the edges of each painted strip thus allowing for over spill and to give us a straight edge when it was peeled off.

    Families and small groups of those sharing a household then proceeded to work on their chosen colours.





    We worked on it over a few weeks whenever people were available and it turned out to be beautiful, vibrant and colourful.

     





    We are very proud of the result, many people said it cheered them up to look at it and it made us feel we had achieved something special in lockdown. 

    We hope you like it too.
    Deborah Carmichael

    Luggiewatch Facebook

    Luggiewatch website

  • Topic 2