THE call went out and the community responded in force.

From infants to grandparents, they rolled up their sleeves and got to grips with a jungle of weeds that had turned parts of their town into an unsightly mess.

There was sure to be some aching limbs on Monday morning but Sunday's clean-up effort in Invergordon sparked tremendous community spirit in a town which welcomes hundreds of thousands of cruise line passengers from around the world every year.

Hearteningly, some of those arriving at the Easter Ross port actually pitched in for a while and others, impressed by what they saw, offered donations.

Invergordon Community Council chair Sally Northern said she was "gobsmacked" by the response to help turn tackle "scruffy and neglected looking" areas. She said: "Some people helped after coming out of church, one lady who turned up was celebrating her birthday and even a cruise line passenger joined in.

"We know it's technically not our remit to be doing this and also that Highland Council is strapped for cash. We decided we needed to take pride in our town. If we break the back of it, it's not such a big job going forward."

She thanked Port of Cromarty Firth, Morrisons, Highland Broadband, Harry Gow bakery and Invergordon Gallery, amongst others, for support. With donations they managed to get gardening tools for use on future efforts.

Volunteers enjoyed a picnic lunch with burgers in Natal Gardens.

She said: "After a long day of hard work the High Street looked much better."

She anticipates lanes being addressed next and noted gulleys now need jet cleaning to ensure they don't get blocked.

She said: "If everybody did a wee bit outside their home that would help. There was a real, lovely, vibrant community atmosphere. We were delighted."

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