A group of around 30 scouts from the Stella Maris College Scout Group, together with their Scout Leaders, have recently undertaken cleaning activities in Gharghur, in the area better known as Top of the World. The aim of this activity was to clear up scrap material and debris that has accumulated over the years. The group also removed invasive alien species of plants which could cause significant ecological harm to the local flora in the valley. This is part of an ongoing effort by this group to safeguard the environment while creating awareness with the children and youths who attend the Scout Group about the importance of caring for the Maltese countryside.

Daniel Cuschieri, Assistant Group Scout Leader of the Stella Maris College Scout Group, said that the group promotes the protection and preservation of the environment, upholding the principle of leaving the world in good shape for future generations. "We have done a number of clean-up sessions in recent years, with 3 sessions being held by the Group over the past year alone. During these activities we have removed about six large overflowing skips of litter.  Sometimes ropes and other abseiling equipment had to be used to clean up parts of the valley which are difficult to access."

Moreover, a number of trees will be planted to further embellish the area. "To date, around 200 local trees and plants have been planted in this area, most of which are still alive.  The trees were provided through The Grow 10 Trees Project (www.g10t.eu), a Facebook group initiative created by Adrian and Nathan Gatt, who are an active leader and venture scout respectively with our Scout Group. We have been cleaning up and preparing the area in Gharghur to support this tree planting initiative, and to remove litter and bulky refuse from the valley.  Another round of tree planting will be carried out in the winter," continued Mr Cuschieri. 

At the end of the activity, which was sponsored by Bravo Juice Drinks, all the participants received a refreshing Bravo juice drink. Mr George Schembri of Schembri Import & Export Ltd, importers and distributors of Bravo said "We are very happy to support this cause, as we believe in educating our children and youths about the importance of taking care of our countryside. It was a pleasure to be able to do our part in safeguarding the environment, as well as rewarding the hard work of these young people with a refreshing Bravo Juice Drink at the end of this activity."