Registration for the annual month long blitz on litter has already exceeded expectations with more than 41,000 volunteers committed to pulling on their bright yellow spring clean tabards at 591 clean up events across Scotland during April.  To ensure that groups receive their free clean up kits Keep Scotland Tidy is now calling for more registrations before National Spring Clean month starts.

Re-established four years ago National Spring Clean has grown exponentially becoming one of the country's largest volunteer events.  Families, schools, community groups, environmental organisations and businesses have all taken up the challenge to do something to improve the cleanliness of their local areas - and now a call is being made for even more people to come forward and help make 2010 the biggest yet.

Donna Niven, Programme Manager said, "Almost 60,000 people, at over 1,000 locations across Scotland, took part in fun litter pick events during April 2009, filling enough black sacks of litter to fill 28,819 standard wheelie bins.  But this year the campaign aim is to achieve even more, and, while we are well on the way, there are towns, parks, beaches and open spaces spoilt by litter which are unclaimed by clean-up groups.

"So, please help us this April and organise, or take part in, an event near you - all you have to do is chose a location and sign up on line for your FREE clean up kit at www.keepscotlandtidy.org/springclean".   

The Inspectors visited the school in January 2010 and in all measures used to judge how well the school is performing, Grangemouth High was found to be consistently good and scored a very good for the quality of the curriculum.

The school has a number of strengths which include:

• Friendly, courteous, motivated young people
• Leadership of young people in promoting the health and well being of their peers and the wider community
• Partnerships with external agencies to enrich and support young people's learning.

Dr Alex Waddell, Convener of the Education and Leisure Committee said: "Staff and pupils at Grangemouth High should take pride in the recent HMIe which reflects and recognises their hard work and commitment to the school.

"Overall attainment is improving with our S6 pupils doing particularly well attaining three or five Higher awards in line with and better than similar schools.

"While raising attainment is always our main priority, there are a wide range of activities available in the school including dance, drama, science and various sports. The school has also embraced enterprise in education securing several awards recognising their enterprising skills and projects."

Areas for improvement include:

• Develop more consistent and rigorous arrangements for self-evaluation to increase the impact on the quality of education
• Continue to build on and share existing good practice to improve learning and teaching.

There will be no further HMIe visits in connection with this inspection.

The inspection was carried out in January 2010 at which time the roll was 820.

That's what Falkirk Council's Short Breaks Carer service is all about!

New carers are needed now in the Falkirk Council area to provide placements for children and parents needing a short break.

Falkirk Council's Children with Disabilities Team have an established network of experienced carers who provide much needed and valuable short breaks to children who have a range of disabilities. The break can be for a couple of hours or a couple of days a month in the carer's home. This can be a challenging but rewarding experience for carers and the children being cared for.

New carers are needed, no special training required, just a genuine interest in working and caring for children with a range of disabilities. New carers will receive training and support plus fees and allowances to cover the cost of caring for a young person.

Anyone interested in becoming a short break carer should come along to a special Information Evening on 25^th March at 6.30pm - 8.30pm at the Municipal Buildings, Falkirk.

For more information call the Children with Disabilities Team 01324 504343

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities annual ‘Local Government Excellence Awards' singled out the Council's ‘Backing Falkirk's Future' programme based on the Council's approach to the training and employment of young people.

The extension of this approach locally aims to get employers on board to help young people through expanding the number of local training and employment opportunities and to date, over 100 employers have signed up for the scheme.

The Council's Employment and Training Unit picked up the Scottish Government sponsored ‘Recognising Excellence Award' for their work within Falkirk Council Services and the roll out of the approach to bring on board as many local employers as possible to take forward the scheme.

Cllr Craig Martin, Leader of Falkirk Council said: ‘This is a great achievement for the team who continue to develop new ideas that help encourage and strengthen local employment opportunities.

‘It is particularly pleasing to see that this piece of work was recognised for helping unemployed young people who have been badly affected by the economic downturn.  Thankfully, the ‘Backing Falkirk's Future' scheme is making inroads into securing a better future for them.

‘The awards are a great accolade for any local authority to attain and truly represent the best in public service across Scotland.'

COSLA Vice President Councillor Neil Fletcher said: ‘The COSLA Excellence Awards showcase and celebrate the very best of Scottish Local Government.  These awards are the Scottish Local Government Oscars, and year after year we see projects which continue to live up to this billing.'

Councillor Fletcher continued: ‘Every one of our finalists have set new standards for excellence, and demonstrated real innovation and creativity in delivering important services in an increasingly challenging environment.

Their incredible results speak for themselves, but above all else, I have been struck by the commitment, enthusiasm and utter passion that council workers and our partners have for delivering better outcomes for their communities.'

The awards praised nine other local authorities for their ‘outstanding quality of service to the public' and over 200 submissions were received across ten categories.

In April, householders normal blue bin day will become a recycling collection day with the blue and brown bins, black kerbside recycling box and textile sack collected on the same day.

Councillor Charles MacDonald, Convener of the Environment and Community Safety Committee said: "Our recycling collection rate increases year on year thanks to the commitment shown by local residents across the Falkirk Council area.

"Last year we managed to recycle or compost 42% of waste collected thanks to householders' efforts.

"However we cannot rest on our laurels but instead have to continue to push the recycling effort to ensure the least amount of waste ends up in landfill, which is an expensive option.

"Ultimately we want to make recycling easier for local residents. The introduction of a recycling collection day means householders can now present recyclable materials on the same day every two weeks."

And blue bins can now take more recycled materials than ever before including:

• Mixed plastics
• Coloured and clear plastic food trays
• Fruit punnets
• Yoghurt pots/margarine tubs
• And tetra pak cartons

The black kerbside box and textile sack system was introduced in July 2009 and has already been rolled out to 50,000 properties across the Falkirk Council area. In May a further 12,000 properties will receive a black box for recyclable household materials including glass and small electrical goods, and a sack for household textiles. Over 60,000 households will have access to this new service by May 2010.

Recycling Centres Roughmute and Kinneil Kerse are launching a new initiative to increase awareness of recyclable materials. Material of the Month will focus on different materials every month throughout the year. Information will be available on site detailing what happens to items after they have been brought into a recycling centre. Information includes:

• The waste journey for each material
• Re-use or recycle options for materials
• Environmental and economical benefits of diverting waste from landfill.

Twenty six separate material types are accepted for reuse, recycling and composting including bicycles, gas cylinders and water based paint.

For more information on waste minimisation, recycling and composting visit http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/

The Service has offered the position to Kenny Taylor who is currently Director for Service Delivery within Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service. It is anticipated that Kenny will take up the position on 2 April following the retirement the current Chief Fire Officer Steven Torrie on 1 April.

Kenny has had a varied and distinguished career in the Fire Service, starting off as a recruit in 1983 in Bo'ness and then moving to Alloa.

Within ten years of joining the Service he had been promoted Station Officer within the Staff Department at Service Headquarters. Kenny was then promoted to Station Commander, covering the Falkirk and Bo'ness area. He was latterly Director of Service Delivery, having been promoted from Head of Operations in June 2008.

The appointment was offered to Kenny following a comprehensive interview process overseen by the Appointments Committee of the Central Scotland Joint Fire and Rescue Service Board. The full Fire Board will be advised of the appointment at its next meeting on the 26 March.

Convener of the Joint Board, Councillor Craig Martin, said: "This appointment comes at a time of both challenges and opportunities. However I am confident that Kenny has both the experience and leadership to ensure that Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service continues to meet the very high expectations that the communities of Central Scotland have come to expect".

Kenny Taylor said: "It is an honor to be offered to position of Chief Fire Officer for Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service.

"The coming years for the public sector in Scotland will present many challenges but what is key for me is that we maintain front line service delivery and we enhance our efforts to educate our communities about the very real danger fire presents. My predecessor, Steven Torrie has set a high bar and has ensured the Service is in the best possible position to meet future challenges. Under my leadership, I hope this will continue".

Chief Fire Officer Steven Torrie, said: "Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service is extremely pleased that the Joint Board has appointed Kenny Taylor in this position. Kenny has served the people of Central Scotland since he joined the Service 27 years ago.  This experience and knowledge will stand him in good stead to lead the Service in the years to come".

Councillor Adrian Mahoney, Convener of Economic Development, said: "The Council shares the community's frustration that the initial proposals have not moved as quickly as we'd hoped. However, the economic downtown has had a major impact on commercial developments throughout the country, and inevitably this is the case with Denny Town Centre.

Despite this, the project is moving forward. The planning application has been submitted, the acquisition process has started and, unlike many projects elsewhere, we still have a developer on board. We are looking closely at ways of accelerating progress and are confident that the best way to achieve this is by continuing to work with Henry Boot."

The scheme involves a £15m regeneration of Denny town centre with a two-storey development incorporating a 16,600ft² foodstore, new retail, offices, restaurant, library,   residential units, upgraded road infrastructure and streetscape, including a new civic square.

Councillor Mahoney said: "The Council appreciates that, for the community, the demolition of Church Walk will be the most powerful symbol of the town centre's regeneration. Unfortunately the economic conditions mean it is not financially viable for Henry Boot to proceed at this time and it would cost the Council at least £3m to do it independently."

Henry Boot Developments Ltd were appointed to progress the regeneration strategy in November 2005. An initial approach to market in 2003 failed to attract developer interest and the Council had to add five residential sites as a further incentive.

The Development Agreement was signed off by Henry Boot Developments and the Council on in May 2009 and an outline planning application was submitted in June.  The Development Agreement sets out milestones to be achieved by Henry Boot.  The next is in May 2011, by which stage Henry Boot is expected to have submitted an application for detailed planning consent.

Alongside this, the Council was awarded £487,000 for Denny from the Scottish Government Town Centre Regeneration Fund. This will fund improvements in the Denny Cross signalling system, upgrades to the shop frontages on the east side of Stirling Street and acquisition of privately owned vacant property in the Church Walk Blocks.  All three projects are progressing and programmed for completion by the end of April. Delivery of these projects will reduce key obstacles to the regeneration project, reduce overall costs and help accelerate delivery.

Councillor Dr Alex Waddell, Chair of the Denny Town Centre Development Group added "We are keen to see the scheme we have prepared with Henry Boot come forward as quickly as possible.  It has been subject to extensive community involvement with two major rounds of consultation on the scheme during 2006/7 and 2007/8.  The finalised scheme and steps being undertaken were outlined to the local community regularly through press articles, a newsletter issued to every household and at regular meetings our group.  It is extremely frustrating that it has been delayed, however we are considering all possible means to accelerate its delivery".

The anniversary weekend includes ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (dressing up not compulsory but it helps!) and ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

The spring programme also features the Hippodrome's customary mix of blockbusters, world cinema, archive screenings along with great new releases in all genres from comedy and drama, to sci-fi and horror, and plenty of family friendly titles and extra screenings for the Easter holidays including ‘Alice in Wonderland', ‘The Princess and the Frog' and Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'. 

At the time of going to press there are nine Oscar nominated titles in our programme.  Big hitters to look out for include ‘A Single Man', ‘Precious', ‘The Lovely Bones' and ‘Invictus'.

There is a chance to see a couple of films not doing the general rounds - two picks from the Middle Eastern Film Festival on tour, introduced by filmmaker and academic Maryam Ghorbankarimi, one of which: ‘Cairo Station', will make you wonder where this film has been all our lives.

The ‘After Life' season further explores the themes from the current exhibition in Callendar House with a weekend of films dealing imaginatively and humorously with the living view of death. There will be  a genuinely rare screening of the cult classic ‘Harold and Maude', along with the Japanese Academy Award winner ‘Departures', Powell and Pressburger's masterpiece ‘A Matter of Life and Death' and the modern Scottish classic ‘Orphans' introduced by the writer/director Peter Mullan.  

This season's archive event is a specially compiled programme of films about the British coal mining industry and is presented in partnership with the Scottish Coal Mining Museum. Take advantage of the ‘cuppa' price at 'King Coal!' and enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with cake included in the ticket price.

There is a choice selection in our ‘Hippodrome Highlights' strand - this season's treats are ‘Breakfast at Tiffany's' (perfect for a Mother's Day treat on 14th March),‘Citizen Kane' and ‘Cinema Paradiso'. And look out for a Saturday morning screening of ‘Guys and Dolls', in memoriam Jean Simmons.

To find out more about the Hippodrome's spring season, check out the brochure which is available online at www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome or join the free mailing list for regular programme updates.

Scooping the Award for Support of Communities, Falkirk Council representatives were presented with an award trophy and a framed certificate by Provost of East Lothian, Councillor Sheena Richardson and John Summers OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, who hosted the award ceremony. 

The Award for Support of Communities acknowledges local authorities which have developed successful partnerships with external organisations, including businesses, community groups or schools, to improve and enhance an area as part of the People and Places programme run by Keep Scotland Beautiful.

And it was the issue of dog fouling which led the council to its award.  A trio of campaigns run by Falkirk Council to stamp out the problem of dog fouling on streets and open spaces caught the attention of the judges.

The hard hitting six-week dog fouling campaign was based on research carried out by Keep Scotland Beautiful and Falkirk Council, which showed that dog fouling was an issue high on the public agenda.  Using phrases such as ‘It's filthy, selfish and shameful', dog fouling culprits were exposed to shocking images on a billboard campaign to make them see sense and start behaving as the majority of dog owners do.

Meanwhile, a different approach was being taken by the community-driven Green Dog Walkers campaign.  Volunteers across the Falkirk Council area were encouraged to sign-up as ambassadors of Green Dog Walkers and carry a supply of spare dog poo bags with them to issue to other dog walkers.  This campaign has already led to a reduction in dog fouling and an increase in the number of times dog bins have to be emptied.

The third angle taken to tackle the problem was led by Falkirk Council and Antonine Primary School pupils who were concerned about the level of dog poo found on one of the main routes to school.  The pupils spray-painted the poo they found along the path white, visually highlighting over 190.  They then organised competitions to design posters and come up with a school slogan - ‘Don't be a mucky pup, always pick your dog mess up'.

The People and Places award ceremony and conference dinner is the highlight of a two-day event run by Keep Scotland Beautiful, which this year focused on reducing anti-social behaviour for a safer, cleaner and greener Scotland. 

John Summers OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: "Falkirk Council is well deserving of this Award for Support of Communities, but the community members and school pupils who were involved in all three hard hitting campaigns to highlight the filthy blight of dog poo are also to be commended.

"Not only has the campaigning reduced dog fouling in certain areas, it has also empowered the community members and school pupils so affected by the mess".

Councillor Charles MacDonald, Convener of the Environment and Community Safety Committee said: "We are delighted to be recognised once again by Keep Scotland Beautiful for the innovative work taking place to tackle dog fouling across the Falkirk Council area.

"Having three projects shortlisted shows the quality of work, commitment and dedication to tackle an important local issue.

"Winning a prestigious award for supporting our communities is the icing on the cake!

"This is a tremendous achievement for the Council's Litter Team and the people they have been working with throughout the year."

The People and Places Programme supports the delivery of high quality local environments and the awards recognise the contribution that partners have made in achieving this.  Reflecting the challenges facing local authorities and the contribution that they have made in the past year, the four award categories were:

• Programme of the Year Award
• Programme Manager of the Year Award
• Award for Support of Communities
• Best Local Environmental Quality Innovation Award

For further information visit http://news.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/PeopleandPlaces.asp 

The Cedar (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery) Project is a 3-year pilot programme, funded by the Scottish Government, for children and mothers who have experience of domestic abuse.  The Forth Valley Cedar Project helps children and mothers from all three Council areas of Clackmannashire, Falkirk and Stirling. The program provides a 12- week programme of support for children and young people aged from 4 years to 16 years old to help them identify and express emotions surrounding domestic abuse. Domestic abuse can have a devastating effect on children and can cause anxiety, fear, anger, sadness and disruption at school.

Groups are run for mothers to help them support their children with their experiences.  Mothers are encouraged to attend the Women's programme as an opportunity to look at and discuss the materials their children will be using over the 12-week programme.  Groups are held in the local community, also in a safe supportive environment.

The new DVD, which was launched at a special viewing at the Macrobert Film Centre, offers a unique and personal insight into what the experience of a CEDAR group can be like. Made in partnership with the mothers and young people themselves, the series of 4 short films graphically illustrates the activities, the friendships the fun and the successes that participation in the CEDAR programme can potentially bring. The films, each around 4 minutes in length, are designed to give people a greater understanding of what it means to be part of a CEDAR group, and is relevant whether the viewer is a potential referrer or a possible future participant.

For futher information on the Forth Valley CEDAR Project please contact Susan Walker at walkers@stirling.gov.uk or Joyce Whyte at whytej@stirling.gov.uk or phone 01786 442711.

It is our intention to bring all the gritters back out after the evening rush hour to treat the priority 2 and 3 routes as required.

Most of the falling snow is now turning to rain, even at the higher levels, and this is helping to clear any snow that remains.

The forecast for tonight is for snow/sleet/rain to continue at all levels, however this maybe quite light for a time.

The snow is forecast to return tomorrow morning and could be substantial at higher levels, continuing throughout the day. The weather is to be mixed over the weekend although milder than of late.

The report highlighted how over 90 local employers had signed a pledge to give young people the best start through Falkirk Council's ‘Backing Falkirk's Future' initiative that aims to tackle rising levels of youth unemployment.

The initiative will help to deliver a guarantee of employment and training opportunities to all young people aged between 16-24 and is an attempt to encourage private sector employers help play their part in securing young people's futures by joining in the scheme.

Falkirk Council as the largest local employer is leading by example as it currently provides over 300 work-based training opportunities for young people each year.

Cllr Adrian Mahoney, Convener of Economic Strategy and Development said: ‘The response we've had to date from employers has been fantastic and we would encourage more to come forward and see for themselves the many mutual benefits that can be gained from engaging with young people.'

‘Falkirk Council has taken the lead in providing real opportunities that involves good training that leads to nationally recognised qualifications and improved employment prospects.

‘Employers can find out more about how useful they can be by getting in contact with our employment and training unit on 01324 504400 or visit http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/backingfalkirksfuture

A progress report will be brought back to a future meeting of the committee.

There is a major problem in Camelon with a flood at the railway bridge due to surcharging sewage manholes. Scottish Water have been advised and used tankers to remove some of the water / sewage last night and should be on site this morning to carry out a repair.

All carriageway and footway gritting crews have been out since 5:00am this morning. The majority of the lower lying areas have no snow, however Denny, Bonnybridge, Banknock, Denny Hills and the Braes areas have had significant snow falls. There has been some 18inches of snow in the Carronbridge. area.

All our gritting resources have been diverted into the areas above. We currently have 5 main line gritters, 2 smaller gritters and 3 JCB tractors working in the Braes and 5 mainline gritter working in the Denny, Bonnybridge and Banknock areas. We also have a contractor with the v-plough tractor working in the Denny Hills area.

Some of the motorways are closed and with the roadworks and accidents on the A80 traffic is filling up the Council roads network especially in Falkirk and Denny.  

Despite continuous snowfall it has not remained at lower levels although there has been a significant accumulation in the Braes and Denny/Bonnybridge areas.

We have managed to continue on to the priority 2 carriageway routes, however because of the snow in the Denny, Bonnybridge and the Braes areas we have diverted additional resources to these areas and concentrated our efforts on the priority 1 carriageway routes.

The snow is expected to continue into the evening and throughout the night with up to 6 inches in the higher areas and arrangements have been made for gritting crews to continue to treat through the night if required.

Footway crews will work into the evening and will be out from 05:00hrs tomorrow morning to continue operations.

The forecast for tomorrow is for more snow particularly on the higher ground turning to rain at lower levels and becoming milder towards the weekend.  We are not expecting temperatures to fall significantly below zero therefore the snow should remain damp and suitable for ploughing.

There is a current advisory from the Transport Scotland to preserve salt stocks at a national level, Falkirk Council currently has sufficient stock for our current and foreseeable needs and we also expect further deliveries in the next few days.

At a meeting of the Economic Strategy and Development Committee, the report was presented conveying the outcome of consultation that has taken place over the past 12 months featuring, local residents, businesses and other groups seeking views on how they want to see the area's economy progress.

Cllr Adrian Mahoney, Convener of Economic Strategy and Development said: ‘Our consultation stressed that people want the momentum of My Futures in Falkirk to continue.  It showed four clear areas for development of the initiative: growing business and employment opportunities; enhancing business connections; transforming our local communities and; engaging young people to help them realise their potential.

‘My Future's in Falkirk has achieved many great milestones to date but we must recognise that the recent changes in the global economy mean that we have not been able to achieve our goals as quickly as we would have liked.  However, with our new heading focus? we are confident we can help the area to recover and exploit opportunities for both businesses and individuals alike.

The key aims of the initiative are to make the local area more attractive to work, live, visit and invest in; to diversify its economic base; to build on its potential and to push ambition for people and businesses.

‘We all can contribute to this process and with the support of our local communities as well as colleagues across the public and private sector, we are in a strong position to take the area forward as we head out of the economic downturn.'

Launched in 2002, the original collaboration between Falkirk Council, Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley and BP has seen many positive outcomes economically for the Falkirk area and has helped transform many areas and businesses.

Notable successes include: Securing a £25m award for the ambitious Helix project; the redevelopment of Stenhousemuir and Bo'ness town centres; refurbishment of iconic buildings such as the Bo'ness Hippodrome; and renewal of the former Alcan works site.