Bellshill church group praised for clean-up work enabled by North Lanarkshire Council grant

St Andrews United Free Church applied for a RecoverNL grant from North Lanarkshire Council for litter picking equipment which they used to run events around the churchyard and Bellshill Cross.

North Lanarkshire Provost Kenneth Duffy and Convener for Environment and Climate Change, Councillor Helen Loughran visited the group to learn more about their work and congratulate them on their achievements.

Provost Duffy said: “St Andrews United Free Church is one of 121 community groups who received grants from the council as part of our RecoverNL initiative to address local issues after the Covid pandemic,

“Their efforts have made a real difference to Bellshill town centre, making the area cleaner and safer for residents and businesses. It has also helped raise awareness of reducing littering in the first place, and generating a sense of community pride. Well done to everyone involved.”

Rev. Jason Lingiah, Minister of St Andrew's Church said, “The church has been a focal point at Bellshill Cross since 1762 and the Recover NL grant has helped us to keep the grounds and seating area at Bellshill Cross tidy and reduce anti-social behaviour. This is as well as providing the enthusiasm and energy to develop a gardening group to maintain the historic churchyard and for the Kirk Session to consider future work on the external aspects of the church and grounds.”