A "RE-IMAGINED Civic Week" in Dunfermline would see hit squads descend on High Street to tidy it up and give it a facelift.

The suggestion is that a community-wide effort, invoking the spirit of TV shows like 'DIY SOS', can tackle problems with 'quick wins' improving the look and atmosphere in the city centre.

It's one of the ideas that came from the steering group which has been set up to capitalise on city status and come up with a vision for the future.

Dunfermline Central SNP councillor Derek Glen explained: "Following recent calls from some residents to revive Dunfermline Civic Week, the event could be re-imagined as a focused annual effort bringing together ‘hit squads’ of businesses and residents to tidy up the street, the buildings and take care of low-level maintenance to keep our city safe and beautiful.

Dunfermline Press:

"This revival of civic week could tackle things like chewing gum, cleaning, graffiti, worn or broken fascias, removing or replacing out-of-date signage, painting of benches and bollards, power-washing of pavements and flagstones, as well as weeding and removing unwanted plant growth from gutters."

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The steering group met last week and participants included the city’s councillors, Fife Council officers and representatives from local businesses, tourist organisations and community groups.

They heard an impassioned plea for "quick wins" from Aileen Wright, owner of Sew Yarn Crafty and the new deli Must Be Crackers, both on High Street.

She urged the group to take short-term action to tidy up the centre of Dunfermline alongside longer-term thinking around what city status could mean.

Fellow Dunfermline Central councillor Jean Hall Muir highlighted the Scandinavian concept of ‘Dugnad’, where communities come together to tidy and improve their local areas each year – often culminating in a shared cook-out or other community event to bring people together.

And Carnegie Dunfermline Trust chief executive, Gillian Taylor, highlighted the feel-good aspect of TV shows like DIY SOS, where local people come together to help out, and said there was no reason why it couldn't work here.

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It was pointed out at the meeting that council services – which are often responsible for only parts of such solutions – could come together to ensure professional cleaning and maintenance equipment is on hand, with the community effort preceded by a walk around to identify and schedule in any larger tasks.

Cllr Glen further suggested that where unsightly things like bins cannot be removed from the High Street, that steps could be taken to disguise them by building on-street wooden bin stores which could be painted with artworks or hidden through careful planting and floral displays.