VOLUNTEERS and workers from Diageo came together for a mammoth clear-up session last week, in a bid to bring Menstrie back to its best.

The village’s burn and surrounding areas have been treated to a spring clean with more than 20 bags filled with brambles, weeds and discarded rubbish.

The event, held on Monday, April 23, is the latest project to come out of the action plan for the area.

Nicola Simm, a member of the community council, who organised the day, said their aim is to get Menstrie back to the “lovely, little idyllic village that we all love”.

The clear-up event, which followed on from a litter-pick and seed-planting session in Menstrie earlier in the month, ran across four and a half hours.

In that time the team managed to fill 12 big bags with vegetation and 15 bin liners with general rubbish.

And Nicola was "overwhelmed" by the work they did and their readiness to give their time.

She said: “These guys donated a whole day of their spare time to come and do this for us and I just, honestly, cannot thank them enough.

“It restores your faith in community spirit when you see people that aren’t even from this area coming and willing to give you a day.”

The group of 15 from Diageo, who came armed with tools, and other volunteers had a big task ahead of them in the form of the burn.

The local spot had been impacted by the bad weather and water coming from the Ochil Hills.

Nicola said: “Everything comes in between the two hills and it just scooshes down in between Menstrie, so it comes down our burn and we were finding things like tents, sledges, honestly everything you could imagine."

With the main access path from Menstrie Mains estate to the primary school going past the burn, the overgrown brambles and dead plants were becoming unsightly.

And the hope is that now the area is clear, it will make way for youngsters to learn pond-dipping and allow them to discover the local bug-life.

A spokesperson for Diageo added: “Employees from Diageo’s Menstrie office were more than happy to help their local community with the path clearing.

"Everyone involved enjoyed the day, it was great to see the end result and hope that locals can now enjoy the newly cleared route.”