THEY are the selfless people who dedicate hours of their own time and energy to help enhance our local communities.

And that’s why they were celebrated as the Council’s Streetscene team held its Volunteer Recognition Lunch.

The event took place at Saltcoats Town Hall and was organised to thank them all for their hard work, dedication and demonstration of Civic Pride which makes North Ayrshire a better place to live, work and visit.

Guest speakers included Ingrid Roughead, Community Projects Officer from Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) who highlighted some of the current KSB campaigns as well as the support they can provide to community groups.

Volunteers from all across North Ayrshire were present at the event including children from local schools who carry out a range of activities from litter picks and beach clean ups to conservation work and maintaining community gardens.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “Streetscene do a fantastic job in keeping North Ayrshire clean and tidy for our communities.

“They have an enormous area to cover and any extra help is always welcome. The volunteers are passionate about their communities and whether it’s cleaning their local beach or helping to rid our streets of litter, they always do an amazing job.

“We were therefore delighted to hold this event as it gives us a chance to let them know just how grateful we are.”