ALLOA'S Wimpy Park has been selected to appear on a BBC gardening programme.

The park has been selected by The Beechgrove Garden show for a special DIY SOS and the Wimpy Park Community Group are now on the lookout for volunteers to help out while they are filming.

Filming is set to take place for one week around the third week of August and the group are looking for people to help make a difference and put Alloa on the map "for the right reasons".

Rev Jason Lingiah, chair of the Alloa Community Council, is delighted to see the group get some much deserved help.

He said: "Wimpy Park Community Group have been very active, they've been a registered charity for a number of years. They've sought funding in the past and they have made positive contributions to the community.

"It's great that their application for Beechgrove has been accepted and is moving forward. I believe they're looking for volunteers and I'm hoping many will volunteer in mid-August when they're looking to film. It's a great thing as well because culturally there's few things left at the bottom end.

"I was there the Saturday before last and it's great to see the flowers and the vegetable pots growing, and it could benefit from more money. There's no lack of volunteer power, but any help is great, especially when it's so difficult to get funding, and also publicity for a group that engages with the more socially deprived areas of Clackmannanshire.

"There's a lot of positivity about and it comes from community itself. It's great to see local people taking this forward and empowering themselves, getting children and young people to help maintain the garden and teach them life skills too."

The Beechgrove Garden has been broadcast for more than 40 years and more than 1,000 episodes have been shown.

The Wimpy Park Community Group have been involved with a number of improvements to the park, including the creation of a new path in 2019 which ensured the park was accessible to everyone.

Clacks Cllr Craig Holden added: “The involvement of the Beechgrove Garden is great news for all the volunteers who have invested so much of their time and energy into the Wimpy Park over the last few years.

"The transformation of the Park has been amazing to see and it now plays an important role in the life of the local community and it is a model for others to follow.

"I wish them all the best for the future and if the Council can support them in any way we will be happy to do so.”

Anyone who would like to volunteer to help out for the Beechgrove Garden project, or just donate some time to the community group, can contact wimpypark2017@aol.co.uk or call 07922 567 584.