Couple who clear litter from Falkirk woods appeal for support

Romana and Bernard Tivadar moved into Maxwell Tower after arriving from Slovenia last October to start life in a country where they instantly felt at home.

Having honeymooned in Fort William five years ago, the couple were drawn to these shores by its landscape and scenery.

However, when they began exploring the green space on their doorstep, the sight of empty bottles and food packaging strewn across Callendar Park and Wood left them heartbroken. The Tivadars have also come across a burned down pillar close to a playground.

Since March, and just prior to lockdown, Romana and her husband have been carrying out litter picks in the woods to try to tackle the issue.

They’ve also hung up several bin liners in the park to encourage other users to dispose of their waste in the proper manner.

Romana (48) insists the problem hasn’t gone away and said: “People are not aware of how much waste we actually take out of the woods.

“Usually it is three to four full black bags every third day which mostly contains dog poo bags, sweet drink cans and chips bags, sometimes even disposable BBQs with all the picnic stuff including bottles and empty meat packages.

“Our first step was to pick up the litter and it was a lot to pick up at first and it continues every day.

“We decided to buy some strong black bags and set them by the main path points to help people to throw their litter away instead of throwing it into the woods.

“The beauty of Callendar Wood’s paths should remain clean, but the shocking litter truth is another side of the story especially on sunny days when a lot of people are outside having a walk or picnic.

“We can invite people to join us either with picking up the litter or even setting their own bags as well.

“Most of all we appeal to everyone who enjoys this beautiful place to simply take their litter home.”

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