Cycling enthusiasts are being encouraged to get on their bikes for a clean-up operation that aims to keep their community looking spick and span.

The initiative is being driven by the Sustrans charity, which encourages people to cycle or walk for more of their everyday journeys.

It is urging residents to make a positive difference in the area by volunteering to keep the local cycle network clean.

Laura White, the charity’s network engagement co-ordinator in Scotland, said: “Throughout the pandemic, I’ve seen our amazing volunteers prove that many people taking small actions can have a huge combined impact.

“Volunteers are enabling us to create paths which are for everyone – and this vital work simply wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Last year, Sustrans Scotland joined forces with Keep Scotland Beautiful to organise the Summer Clean project, which saw people pledging just 20 minutes of their time to stage a litter pick along a mile of the National Cycle Network.

Laura said: “Our target was to clean up 500 miles during the three-week campaign.

"In the end, nearly 100 people pledged their time and they cleaned 600 miles of network routes across Scotland.

“Volunteers told me that the motivation the Summer Clean gave them to get out on the network, even for a short time, really helped their mental health.

“Many of our Summer Clean pledgers have continued to give their time to the National Cycle Network and, as they’ve become more involved in Sustrans volunteering projects, they’ve developed new skills.

“One volunteer who originally pledged 20 minutes during the summer went on to join our autumn barrier audit, which trained 40 volunteers across Scotland to survey, assess and record barriers along the network.

“Across a two-month period, volunteers surveyed 267 miles of Scotland’s traffic-free routes and recorded information on over 1,600 barriers.”

For more information or to join the clean-up operation, visit www.sustrans.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer.