out & about

Inverclyde Garden Waste permits on Sale

Garden waste permits now on sale with brown bin collections resuming in March. Permits cost £40 for each brown bin. To purchase online, or for further information, visit the council website www.inverclyde.gov.uk/garden-waste or call the Garden Waste Helpline on 01475 714555.

Collections will take place at the same time as blue bin household recycling collection starting week beginning 13th or 20th March, depending on residents’ regular recycling collection day. Brown bins will be emptied through until November.

Councillor Michael McCormick, Inverclyde Council’s convener of environment and regeneration, said: “As we look forward to brighter nights and milder weather, our attentions start to turn towards our gardens and preparing them for the spring and summer months after a period of hibernation during the winter.

“Garden permits cost the same no matter what time of year people buy them so it makes sense to purchase one as soon as possible to ensure permit-holders can get the maximum benefit from March through until November when brown bins are collected.

“We have a good track record of recycling in Inverclyde and that includes garden waste materials and things like grass, hedge trimmings, weeds and shrub cuttings, can be put in brown bins and will be turned into compost.”

A permit is required for each brown bin presented containing garden waste. Bins without a valid 2023 permit will not be emptied. Customers are asked to present their brown bin by 7am on their regular recycling collection day during the garden waste collection season.

Howwood Wildlife & Woodlands Group

In February HWW held its first meeting of the year in the Boarding House opposite the Rhombus Garden. Those present were advised of the grant received by the group and a breakdown was given of the items claimed in the original submission. The list included: Garden tools, Strimmer, Battery Leaf Blower, etc.; Tree Survey, trimming, etc.; Fence Planters & Containers; Metal Shed for tools and equipment storage; Seeds, plants & fruit trees.

It was agreed that, in addition to the plans for additional tubs to replace the troughs on the fence at the Triangle, additional focus should be given to the introduction of “wildlife” to the Rhombus. Members of the group will look at the introduction of more plants and shrubs to attract birds, bees, butterflies and insects in addition to possibly providing nesting boxes and “bug boxes”. It is also intended to apply for additional funding to replace Noticeboards and provide additional signage. Plans to purchase additional daffodil bulbs to be planted in other areas of the village, as previously discussed, will also be pursued.

Additional volunteers will be made very welcome - if you are interested, please contact: Bill David (Chair) at -bill@billdavid.co.uk

RSPB Lochwinnoch

Spring is in the air at the reserve! Did you know that the 1st March is officially the first day of Spring? The days are getting longer and the mornings lighter. The lengthening daylight switches the male birds into breeding mode, meaning if you take a wee walk along the woodland trails early morning, they will be full of beautiful bird song. If you have visited the reserve recently, you will have seen the woodlands covered by lovely snowdrops; these are an essential source of food for emerging bees. Queen bumblebees will soon be taking to the air and searching for suitable nest sites of their own

There is lots to see at the reserve at this time of year, our winter migrants, wigeon, goosander, teal, goldeneye and whooper swans are still with us, but will soon be starting their northward journey home.

As we say goodbye to those species, we will be welcoming our new Spring visitors, such as house and sand martin, swallow, chiffchaffs and willow warbler.

We have continued our work around the fen pool. This project is intended to benefit the wildlife, but will also enhance viewing of the wildlife on the reserve and has been funded by the Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.

We will also be running some events in March. Our Astronomy Evening is on 10th March, please book early as this is a very popular event. We also have an Open Day in March; further details will go up on social media. Not forgetting our younger visitors, our Super Spotter Scavenger Hunt will be on for the whole of March.

Our reserve shop continues to sell all your birding requirements, fancy goods, binoculars and scopes.

We look forward to your visit, where our friendly staff and volunteers will give you a warm welcome. For further info please contact us: – 01505 842663 or email us on lochwinnoch@rspb.org.uk we are also on Facebook @RSPBLochwinnochNR and twitter @RSPBLochwinnoch

Spring Super Spotter Scavenger Hunt

1st March to 31st March - 9.30am - 4pm

RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve, Largs Road, Lochwinnoch PA12 4JF £3 per pack

Explore the woodland trail and see how many items you can find on the Spectacular Spring Scavenger Hunt with your family!

Are you a super wildlife spotter? Do you have the skills to find the hidden items along our trail and spot the actual wildlife as well? Pop into the visitor centre to collect your goodie bag and take part in this fun challenge!

Paisley Natural History Society Illustrated Talks

Thursday 2nd March - 7.30pm - 9.30pm

RSPB Lochwinnoch Past, Present and Future - Dan Snowdon, RSPB Lochwinnoch

The Wynd Centre, 6 School Wynd, Paisley PA1 2DB

This is a free event

Tea/coffee and biscuits are available after the talk for which a small donation is appreciated. Disposable cups are provided but we encourage members to bring their own reusable cups if they are happy to do so.

Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society

Gardeners are now discovering the extent of winter damage to their plants. If one is a ‘gonner’ heading for the brown compost bin - shake off any loose compost first of all. Twigs and fibrous roots take time to decompose, so be selective when it comes to what you put in your home compost, unless you enjoy riddling these out later!

This is when pot-planted bulbs can also be temporary border fillers. Turn over the soil in and around the area and feed it with slow-release Fish, Blood & Bone in readiness for your replacement. Dig a hole deep enough for the container, place the pot into this, cover with soil and no-one will know these were not been part of your planting plan! In due course, dig out the container and hey presto - a ready-made hole for your replacement.

We are meeting on Thursday 9th March in Freeland Church Hall at 8pm and will include the Presentation of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Recognition Award which is for “outstanding support of a Society or local community”. This will be awarded to Clare Kennedy, our former Chair, for her commitment to horticulture and gardening and her steadfast support of our Society before, during and after Covid. We will also have a practical demonstration on germination, entitled “Sow, Grow and Show” (hopefully, at our Garden Festival and with support from BOW’s Primary ELCC!). This will be both a hands-on and Q&A session. There’s bound to be a lot of catching up to do after the winter, so come along! As always, guests are welcome.

Finally, a picture of a little crocus thrusting through a fallen leaf. The tenacity of the bulb has won through, but it is better to remove leaves so soggy ones don’t spoil the bulb underneath.

Kilbarchan Smile

Spring has hopefully arrived at last and we at Kibarchan Smile are looking forward to a busy few months as we recover from the long wet winter.

Last year we were delighted to have been awarded an amazing Level 5 – OUTSTANDING Certificate from Keep Scotland Beautiful’s It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative. Along with the Royal Horticultural Society they offer support and encouragement to volunteer groups throughout the country, promoting community participation, environmental responsibility and gardening achievement.

The group achieved this outstanding award by continuing to maintain various garden areas in the village, litter pick, tree planting at Callochant Farm, improvement of the Gateway Community Garden and of course Mary Barbour planters and commemorative plaque.

We are always on the lookout for new volunteers and we have ambitious plans for the coming year. We are on Facebook or you can email us on: hello@kilbarchansmile. co.uk for more information and any suggestions.

In conjunction with Team Up to Clean Up and Keep Scotland Beautiful we are planning The Big Spring Clean on Sunday 26th March from 2pm - 4pm. We will meet in the carpark opposite the Bog Park and all litter picking equipment will be provided.

We are hoping for an amazing turnout of volunteers and hope the sun shines for us. It is usually a fun day out for all the family and encourages the kids to be more engaged with their environment, so why not mark it in your diary and we’ll be delighted to see you there.

Locherwood and Ladymuir Community Woodland

If you go down to the woods today…..You’ll hopefully notice some improvements. Local environmental charity Eadha Enterprises has been undertaking some work in this popular woodland as part of its “Rewilding Woodlands” project funded in part by global rewilding charity Mossy Earth (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=KQzIieWiGVw). This has included removing all plastic tree tubes and guards which have been left on for far too long. These tubes are not biodegradable, only photo degrading and breaking up into micro plastics. They are designed to split along a perforation when the girth of the trunk fills the tube, but often this doesn’t happen, constricting the tree’s growth and trapping dampness causing rot. Most of the bulk bags of waste tubes have now been collected for recycling by Solway Recycling. The tubes will be washed, chipped and made into new plastic products. Eadha has also been working to improve the structure and biodiversity of the woodland. These trees were originally planted on pasture land and typical of many plantations, lacks the complex structure of semi-natural woodlands including an understory layer with shrubs and ground flora. So they have been planting native woodland wildflowers beneath the maturing trees and sowing seed of species like Scottish Bluebell. This seed has been carefully sourced from pure populations within local ancient woodland such as Parkhill Woods. Hybridisation is one of the biggest threats facing our beautiful native bluebell, crossing with the introduced Spanish bluebell often found planted in gardens. They have grown many of the wildflower plants in their nursery near Bishopton from locally collected seed and cuttings including for example Dog’s Mercury, Yellow Pimpernel, Moschatel, Wood Sorrel and Red Campion. Other species have been bought from reputable Scottish nurseries for example, Wood Avens, Hairy Woodrush. They’ve even translocated some orchids rescued from a construction site. Walkers have probably also noticed the sad demise of many of the planted ash trees which have been affected by the disease Chalara or ash dieback. Ash makes up a sizable component of the woodland and its loss will make a big impact. To try to mitigate this, Eadha has been planting aspen trees in and around blocks of ash. There is no current aspen in the woodland so this will enhance the specie mix. Aspen is a tree of high biodiversity value being rare in Southern Scotland (until Eadha came along!) It supports similar species to ash and is therefore seen as a suitable replacement. Another new tree species being planted is Eared Willow (Salix aurita) which is a scrubby upland willow favouring acid soils. Again a local rarity, cuttings from one of the only local populations near Gryfe Reservoir have been planted in the higher parts of the site. Look out for lots of small green spiral guards protecting these newly planted trees. This is a new biodegradable product we are trialling. So neither the guards nor supporting cane will need to be removed. Hopefully this work will enhance any walk around the woods and our work will be ongoing to make these woods a valuable local wildlife habitat as well as attractive place to visit. We have had the grateful help of many volunteers in this work including many residents of Renfrewshire who are keen to help improve the local environment and address the biodiversity emergency, as well as some local corporate groups including Hewlett Packard Enterprises and Thermofisher.

Peter Livingstone: peter@eadha.co.uk | 07968 745197 | www.eadha.co.uk |

Kilmacolm Plant Sale

Outside Kilmacolm Library, Kilmacolm PA13 4LE | Saturday 22nd April, 10am - 12noon

Admission by donation. Nominated charity: Pancreatic Cancer Scotland 60%.

The plant sale will be held at the Cross outside the Library and Cargill Centre in the middle of Kilmacolm. Accessible by McGill’s buses.

Brighter Bridge Of Weir - Is it spring yet? Take your pick

For meteorologists it’s March 1st. For astronomers, it varies by a couple of days from year to year. This year it’s March 20th (at 9.24pm - the vernal equinox.)

For phenologists, around March 10th this year, but it also varies depending on when (and where) certain plants begin to appear. Also, phenology has 10 seasons, so it’s quite complicated.

For Brighter Bridge of Weir’s volunteers, it’s when we can get out without risking frostbite - as the early blooms are beginning to appear, so are we. We’ll be paying particular attention to how the newly configured Woodland Garden takes shape, and how the thousands of bulbs around the village perform, too. It is always interesting to watch how such things develop because with the work that we do meteorology, astronomy and phenology all have an impact.

Whatever you believe, have a happy new season!

If you’d like to help us with our work, please contact us through Facebook, our website www.brighterbridgeofweir.org, email info@brighterbridgeofweir.org, or call Neil on 01505 613043, or Dougie on 07810 722 806.

Kilmacolm Horticultural Society

The trial presentations of informal afternoon Garden Talks held in January and February have been very well attended, we thank you all for the support and appreciation shown to the K.H.S.

The March lecture returns to its evening slot, at 7pm on Wednesday15th March, in the Community Centre, Kilmacolm and features the “Gardens and Plants of New Zealand”, with our good friend David Menzies. David has lectured previously on his specialist subject Orchids, but his second passion is New Zealand, so expect some stunning photographs and interesting stories.

The Spring Bulb competition for the award of the Jimmy Whittet trophy will be judged following the talk, so bring along your exhibits - daffs, tulips, hyacinths, primulas etc, and pick up the coveted trophy. Also featured this year will be the Best Amazing Amaryllis exhibit, for a special prize. We look forward to a dramatic display. Tea and coffee served, everyone is most welcome.

April is a busy month: firstly for the last evening lecture on 19th April - subject ROSES. On 29th April we hope you will join us for a pre-celebration of the crowning of King Charles, with a royal theme to the Coffee Morning, serving sparkling refreshments, royal raffles prizes, special guests... Plus the opportunity to purchase top quality plants at the KHS 2023 Plant Sale. See our website for details - www.kilmacolmhorticultural.com

Rotary Gryffe Valley

Speakers

February speakers: 1st - Sandy Gibb Stuart regaled us with tales of his grandfather in World War 1 and as an air raid warden in WW2, Mike Farley giving an update on the Gryffe Valley Way on the 15th on the 22nd - Lesley King - Reporter to the Children’s Panel, Paisley. Future March

Meetings: 1st – Sharon Gemmel speaking about ‘ Parklea Branching Out’ the horticultural Centre in Port Glasgow and on the 8th – ‘Blazing Paddles -Life in a Kayak’ by member Hugh Kerr, Hamid Khatib speaking on 15th and on the 22nd a Business meeting.

If interested in Rotary come along and find out who we are and what we do e-mail gryffevalleyrotary@ gmail.com to arrange your attendance.

District Young Chef Final - Congratulations Lucy!

As the winner of our Club’s Young Chef competition Lucy D. from Gryffe High School represented us at the District 1230 Young Chef Final held in South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride on 1st February. Competing against other young chefs from the West of Scotland, Lucy prepared a three course meal for two, starting with Pea and Ham Soup then Sweet and Sour Tofu with Basmati Rice and finishing with a Date and Walnut Sticky Toffee Pudding …. all in two hours.

Her work was Highly Commended by the District judges, earning her a place in the next stage of the competition to be held in Perth in March.

Well done Lucy and good luck in Perth!

Gryffe Valley Way

Our next activity is to improve part of the paths at Crosslee Wood and the Mill Lade between Bridge of Weir and Crosslee, individuals or organisations willing to help in a work party in March would be welcomed. Please email gryffevalleyrotary@gmail.com

District Youth Speaks Final

We were represented in the District Youth Speaks Final for the Intermediate age category by our team from St Columba’s School, Kilmacolm. Although they did not win one of the top two places which lead to the next stage of the competition Cameron, Oliver and Oliver performed very well. With confidence and a degree of good humour, chaired by Cameron the two Olivers presented well prepared arguments for and against the proposal that scrum caps should be compulsory in amateur rugby.

As the youngest team they can be very proud of their contribution to the event - well done boys!