Network Bulletin Autumn/Winter 2020

www.tcv.org.uk/scotland

netw rk bulletin Autumn/Winter 2020

for TCV Scotland’s community Network

You’re never too young to take part in I Dig Trees (Plastic guards are optional!)

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netw rk bulletin Contents click to navigate +1 million trees and growing...................3 Keen in Kilwinning....................................... 4 Busy along the Water of Leith ..............7 Adapting to change ...................................8 Still active in North Lanarkshire ...........9 Putting down roots in Fintry.................. 11 Free membership....................................... 12 A good read – The Garden Cure ....... 12 Planting a natural solution to a harmful legacy.................................... 13

Welcome …to the latest issue of our Network Bulletin highlighting the environmental activities of groups in Scotland belonging to TCV’s Community Network, plus some of TCV’s own programmes and volunteer groups.

For obvious safety reasons these have been heavily curtailed or cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic. However, in recent months some Network members have resumed limited activities within the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 guidelines. We catch up with several of these groups in this issue. And TCV Scotland is managing to run some of our local conservation groups, providing our volunteers with much needed exercise, fresh air and social contact – but with some limitations and adhering to the required safety measures.

However, it’s a sign of the times that many recent events, training courses and meetings have been conducted online, a ‘new normal’ for many of us. And the pandemic has delayed publication of this Bulletin, which is only available online for the first time, with no print copies.

We intend publishing our next online issue in the New Year, when the world will hopefully be in a somewhat better place.

Roba Building Roots................................. 15 From unwanted to useful – upcycling in Grangemouth.................16 Bring an Alien into the classroom!..... 17 Hedgehog Question Time...................... 18

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+1 million trees and growing Last year YOU smashed the target to plant over 1 MILLION TREES! This year we are going EVEN BIGGER! We are delighted to be running I Dig Trees for the sixth year during the 2020/2021 planting season with OVO Energy. This fantastic partnership programme goes from strength to strength and is a great opportunity for any community group or volunteer to join in, feel good and make a difference.

Sign up for your FREE trees here Don’t forget to join in with the #IDigTrees conversation on social media and be sure to post your planting pics when the trees go in the ground! Our social media toolkit has all the resources you’ll need to help us to spread the #IDigTrees word – The more we all shout and spread the word, the sooner those trees will be in the ground doing their thing for climate, wildlife and communities!

If you’re taking part in I Dig Trees please do so safely within any local Covid-19 guidelines.

As the old proverb goes:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

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Keen in Kilwinning Christine McGovern is a regular volunteer with the Kilwinning Library Green Gym in North Ayrshire, organised by TCV’s Adaica Rodriguez. Here, Christine explains why she volunteers with the group and how it has sparked an interest in food growing in her own garden.

What attracted you to join the Kilwinning Library Green Gym? As a regular Scottish Wildlife Trust Wednesday Weekday volunteer, we teamed up with Kilwinning Library Green Gym to tackle a litter pick/tidy up of the nearby greenspace Almswall Park. Upon speaking to Adaica further about the Green Gym, I realised I was very interested in joining the group. I shared the same passion for helping to protect the local environment, plus it was an ideal opportunity to increase my knowledge, learn new skills, and improve my health and fitness.

What does it mean to be part of this local group?

Having lived in Kilwinning for 40 plus years, I’m particularly proud to be part of Kilwinning Library Green Gym. It’s a perfect opportunity to make a positive difference to my local community. I’m in the fortunate position of having some spare time each week to be able to offer my skills and knowledge to the group. It’s great to meet new people who share the same interests, and I feel that it’s helping to improve my general wellbeing.

Christine at the Kilwinning Library growing project. ADAICA RODRIGUEZ

What activity or task have you enjoyed most?

Gardening, walking, and conservation are amongst my hobbies, so it’s no surprise that I enjoy all the Green Gym activities. I enjoyed being involved with the ‘dead fence’ project outside the library. We sourced the materials – sycamore, hazel, dogwood and willow from nearby local greenspaces. This task was a joint effort between Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Wednesday Weekday volunteers and Kilwinning Library Green Gym. Each time I walk past the library, I see how it’s looking and check if it’s still serving its purpose – to protect the food growing space. Another fun activity was constructing a ‘hanging shelf’ for the herbs in the library, to then be made available for the local community. I 4

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particularly enjoyed the time when we went on a foraging walk through local greenspaces including Almswall Park and Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Garnock Floods Reserve. We identified and tasted over 30 different plants and 4 edible mushrooms. We also learnt how to identify toxic plants and later enjoyed a brew diffused with edible leaves and berries gathered on the forage.

Have you learned anything new?

I’ve learnt various new things since joining the Green Gym, but I really enjoyed learning about how to grow food including herbs, fruits and vegetables – all from seed.

During lockdown, you started growing food for the first time at home. What have you been growing?

The seedlings which were part of the Green Gym growing project at Kilwinning Library were distributed between the volunteers to care for at home just before lockdown commenced. I was given a coriander and a tomato plant. Luckily, I managed to nurture and successfully grow these, so then decided to experiment by trying to grow other things. I started off by growing some Gardener’s Delight tomatoes. These grew particularly well, but I’ll try to remember not to sow the full packet at once next time!

Because I had so many healthy tomato plant seedlings but lack of space, I gifted some of them to my neighbours, family, and friends to carry on with the growing process. These people have since been ‘hooked’ with the growing bug too. I now have an ever-expanding veggie patch in a corner of my garden, including a couple of self-constructed raised beds.

In addition to tomatoes, I’ve grown onions, carrots, salad leaves, peas, borage, coriander, thyme and basil. I also successfully grew some flowers from seed too – sweet peas, viola, French marigolds, nasturtium and pansy – some of which I’ve since planted in hanging baskets.

Compact but thriving raised beds and planters. CHRISTINE MCGOVERN

Do you agree that growing food and spending time in the outdoors can help your physical and mental health?

Yes, I’m very lucky to have a small bit of space to grow my own food and find it very rewarding, particularly through the pandemic. Like many others, I didn’t know how long we would be in lockdown for. I felt fortunate to have a garden though where I could spend 5

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most days out in the fresh air, rather than being ‘cooped-up’ indoors. I find spending time outdoors overall makes me happy.

Do you have any recommendations for anyone thinking of growing food for the first time?

Start off little by little – only sow a few seeds at a time, stagger the seedling stages to slowly harvest and for longer, read seed packet instructions carefully, join vegetable growing groups on social media to share/swap ideas with others, stock up on plenty of twine, bamboo canes and compost, and HAVE FUN! Summing up, what do you think is the appeal of a group like the Green Gym? If you can spare some time, want to meet new people, would like to make a positive difference to the local environment, improve your physical and mental wellbeing – joining a group like the Green Gym could be the answer. Give it a try! It’s a good chance to have a chat with like-minded people and enjoy a cup of tea/coffee with biscuits too!

For details, contact Kilwinning Library Green Gym The Kilwinning Library Green Gym is one of the outdoor activities promoted by the North Ayrshire Green Health Partnership. See us on Facebook

Early results in Christine’s garden were looking good. CHRISTINE MCGOVERN 6

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Coping with Covid Here, several groups belonging to TCV’s Community Network give a flavour of how they’ve stayed active during the pandemic. These updates were provided in early November.

Busy along the Water of Leith At the Water of Leith Conservation Trust in Edinburgh, we’ve been as busy as a weird cross between an Otter and Kingfisher in the river and on the walkway. Throughout lockdown Charlotte Neary (invasive species expert and Volunteer Co-ordinator) was classed as an essential worker and was encouraged by the local council to go out on the banks of the river with a trained volunteer and treat Giant Hogweed as it’s classed as a public health risk. In total she treated 2,350 plants with volunteer help.

Broughton Rugby Ladies ready for action.

WOLCT

Then, after a six-week furlough Johnny Wells (Project Worker) has been out almost daily with small teams of volunteers, as restrictions have allowed, cutting back and scraping vegetation from the 13 miles of walkway we look after to maximise space so people can safely socially distance whilst using it. As a result of local lockdowns, the Water of Leith Walkway has become a vital resource for residents of Edinburgh to get their outdoor time and we’ve seen it busier than ever.

One of our most recent link ups has been with Broughton Rugby Club’s Ladies team, whose training and season has been greatly affected by Covid-19. However, as a club they are very keen to support one other and to stay fit, thus they are coming out in small groups once a fortnight to stay active and to make a difference on their local stretch of river.

Join us on Facebook

Charlotte spraying Giant Hogweed. WOLCT 7

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Adapting to change Laide and Aultbea Community Woodland in beautiful Wester Ross remains ‘open for business’, but with some differences from normal times, according to John Rippin, group Chairman:

Repairing a deer fence. We have just planted over 16,000 new trees so it is important we keep the fence in good shape. JOHN RIPPIN

These past few months have indeed been strange and challenging times for everyone.

As a Community Woodland providing benefits for the residents of Gairloch Parish and the wider public, our main aim throughout has been to keep the woodland open in the interests of good health and wellbeing. The restrictions imposed during lockdown meant that only local people were allowed to visit the wood, but now since restrictions are less severe it is well used and continues to be so. With nearly 4 miles of tracks and trails it is a place where social distancing can easily be maintained.

The woodland is managed entirely by volunteers and by following Covid-19 safety guidelines we have been able to carry out routine maintenance to keep the woodland safe for those who use it.

We have had to adapt, and I am sure we are not alone in finding virtual meetings a little strange but during the crisis, as Trustees, we have needed to consult even more, as previously simple administrative tasks seemed to require more thought and effort. Now comfortable with our ‘Zoom’ meetings we have just conducted our first Virtual AGM complying fully with our governing document. Whilst it can never be as good as a faceto-face meeting with refreshments and an informal chat afterwards, it went well and fulfilled our obligations as Directors and Trustees. We feel we have learned something new thanks to Covid-19 but will be glad to revert to our old ways when we are finally back to normal, whatever that turns out to be.

Getting ready to fell dangerous wind-blown trees. JOHN RIPPIN

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Over the past few months litter picks have been a great way to keep our activities going and bring in new volunteers. It’s really easy to maintain social distancing, and with easy to wipe down equipment and folk bringing their own gloves, it’s been a great and safe way to get out in the fresh air to keep our pathways looking fantastic. photo: KRIS HOGG

Still active in North Lanarkshire Northern Corridor Community Volunteers runs a range of activities in the villages of the Northern Corridor, in North Lanarkshire. Unsurprisingly, things have been a bit different in recent months, as Claire Williams, NCCV Volunteer and Funding Officer, explains: At the height of the lockdown it was difficult to keep the momentum going at our new tree nursery site and community garden in Chryston. While many of our volunteers were kept busy delivering emergency food parcels to vulnerable households, it wasn’t 9

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really clear what was and what wasn’t allowed. So, we stuck to working in household groups, just to keep on top of maintenance and put in a few new structures, ie a polytunnel and community sheds.

However, the pandemic certainly didn’t put a halt to things entirely as we were able to move our garden design training course completely online which gave eight volunteers the opportunity to learn from experienced garden designers from as far away as Bihar in India! They learned how to create a sustainable garden, resilient to climate change, whilst other sessions from a wide variety of local experts and horticulture practitioners, included basic permaculture, gardening for nature, and accessible design.

Our budding designers produced several garden designs and we’ve picked the most popular ideas from each to go into the new community garden which we hope will be used by youth groups and the local primary school, as well as local residents.

We’re now working in much smaller groups than usual to keep everyone safe on the build, so we’ve tripled the number of regular sessions we run every week to make sure everything will be blooming by Spring.

Join us on Facebook

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Putting down roots in Fintry Trees provide many benefits for nature and people, including their increasingly recognised role in helping to mitigate or prevent flooding in at-risk communities. Trees can intercept rainfall before it hits the ground with up to 30% estimated to evaporate back into the atmosphere. Root systems help water penetrate the ground so reducing surface run-off into watercourses, and trees act to slow down flood waters. And although it’s a complex issue, trees absorb CO2 so can make a significant contribution to tackling climate change and extreme weather events, including flooding. ▲TCV’s Claire Bailly with some of the Fintry Primary tree planters. ▼Pupils sampling the Endrick’s water life with Fergus McFarlane of the Loch Lomond Fisheries Trust.

Earlier this year, residents and school pupils in the Stirlingshire village of Fintry literally put down some roots for the future by planting 1500 trees along the River Endrick, which has been prone to flooding in recent years. The trees were mainly alder and willow which cope well in damp conditions, but also planted was a selection of oak, wild cherry, hawthorn and blackthorn. The enthusiastic Fintry Primary School pupils also did some water sampling on the banks of the river. With the help of Fergus McFarlane, biologist with the Loch Lomond Fisheries Trust, the youngsters found plenty of interesting bugs and beasties.

The Fintry planting was organised by Claire Bailly of TCV’s Flooding Resilience Project, along with Fintry Resilience Group, and the project was funded by the National Centre for Resilience and Stirling Council. Claire says: “The Fintry community is always looking at improving and developing their resilience and TCV hope to support them with new ideas linked to flooding resilience and enhancing biodiversity.”

‘Our community has greatly valued your input, thank you’.

Fintry volunteer

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This River Endrick project was organised for Year of Coasts and Waters 2020, now extended into 2021 when many cancelled activities can hopefully still take place.

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Free membership

A good read The Garden Cure

There’s still time before the end of 2020 to join TCV’s Community Network for free, with generous support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

The Community Network supports over 1440 groups across the UK, with almost 190 in Scotland, who are passionate about protecting their local environment, or who wish to create new green spaces to reflect their community’s unique needs.

In these uncertain times many people have found comfort between the covers of a good book. Julia Duncan, TCV Business Development Manager, has recently been enjoying The Garden Cure, by Jan Cameron:

Previously costing £38, the free membership runs for a year and provides access to discounts from TCV’s suppliers of tools, trees, seeds and equipment, funding information, support and guidance, regular newsletters, discounted insurance, and more.

Join the Network now

The Garden Cure is a fantastic resource for individuals, groups and organisations looking for ideas, approaches and enhanced understanding around how gardens and growing can help people with mental health problems to recover.

Using the garden as a metaphor, Jan draws comparisons between plants and people, and how both need space to grow, nurture and support in order to flourish. Her language is accessible, and she uses numerous examples from her extensive experience of how the power of nature, the outdoors and growing – often as part of a community – transforms lives. Down to earth and powerful.

The Garden Cure is published by Saraband

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Planting a natural solution to a harmful legacy Earlier this year, TCV staff and volunteers faced extremely challenging weather and working conditions to help tackle a harmful legacy of our industrial past. We were tasked to plant-up extensive areas of reed beds to help prevent water pollution at two former coal mining sites.

Kames Colliery in Muirkirk, Ayrshire, operated from 1870-1968, whilst Blindswell Open Cast Mine, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, had a much shorter working life between 19792000. Like many abandoned coal mines across the UK, water from the old workings can come to the surface carrying particles of minerals such as iron which can be detrimental to wildlife and pollute water supplies.

The Coal Authority is the public body responsible for resolving the impacts of mining to protect the public and the environment. It has contracted Severn Trent Services and other companies to operate pollution prevention measures at 82 mine water treatment schemes, including those at Kames and Blindswell.

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A typical solution to mine water pollution is to build a system of water cascades and settlement lagoons which collect dissolved iron solids, after which the sludge can be periodically removed. As the final part of the process, reed beds can filtrate and trap any finer iron particles, preventing them from entering the local watercourse. As well as tackling pollution, this eco-friendly process also creates wonderful wetland habitats for wildlife including many species of insects and birds. These vital habitats are needed now more than ever, for according to the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust: ‘Over the last 300 years, a staggering 87% of the UK’s wetlands have been lost. During this time, hundreds of thousands of hectares have been drained to provide land for housing, industry and agriculture.’

To work effectively, these reed beds need to be maintained to prevent them clogging up and preventing a steady flow of water. If not, they will require major remediation work, as was necessary at Kames and Blindswell. The Kames site has two 1000m2 reed beds whilst Blindsell has one 5,200m2 reed bed. At both sites the beds were first drained and excavated by the 4R Group, who then laid down an impervious membrane and a layer of topsoil, before the TCV teams came on site to plant-up the beds with plug-grown reed species. These were 80% Common Reed, with 10% each of Sea Club-rush and Reedmace, often called Bulrush.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, as Tim Lewis, TCV Operations Leader, explains: “The weather ranged from extremely hot to heavy rain, which caused some flooding and very muddy conditions at Blindswell. After an initial steep learning curve, we soon developed a good working routine and over several weeks managed a total of 8,000 plants at Kames and 21,000 at Blindwells – all hand planted! Everyone involved put in a tremendous effort, and overall, we’re really pleased to play our part in restoring these sites to a healthy condition, and we look forward to working on similar remediation projects in the future.”

Photos: TIM LEWIS

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Roba Building Roots TCV’s Building Roots project seeks to introduce and connect Syrian refugee families living in Scotland to Scottish heritage and green spaces close to where they live. The project has successfully brought together Syrian families in various parts of the country to get to know their new local area. One of the women who started volunteering with Building Roots is Roba Kherollah, who moved to Scotland two years ago with her husband and two sons. After discovering her passion for conservation through the group, Roba has recently progressed from volunteer to Senior Project Officer with Building Roots, working alongside Doro Richter.

Roba says: “I have participated in many activities at Building Roots, including different trips, women’s activities, groups for young mothers with children, and men’s activities. My favourite is our group every Wednesday at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, where older Syrian women can come together. I feel it makes a big difference because they would stay at home every day if it wasn’t for us.”

Building Roots is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund with support from partner organisations including Historic Environment Scotland, NatureScot and the National Trust for Scotland.

E-mail for further information about Building Roots

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From unwanted to useful – upcycling in Grangemouth Since August 2020, with some interruption from Covid-19, volunteers from diverse backgrounds have been diverting unwanted wood from landfill into a range of useful items for the home and garden.

Bird and bat boxes: from £15

Trough planter: £75

The Jupiter Community Upcycling Programme is run by TCV within the grounds of the Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre, managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust in Grangemouth, near Falkirk. Here, local volunteers have been transforming donated pallet wood, scaffolding planks and other unwanted timber into benches, shelving units, tables, planters and raised benches, plus homes for nature including bird, bat, bee and hedgehog boxes. These are sold to local schools, community groups and others wanting sturdy and sustainable wooden items which they can collect from the Centre.

All proceeds from sales goes back into running and developing the programme, which is managed by TCV’s Anna Hamilton, who says: “As well as the environmental benefits, everyone involved learns new skills, grows in confidence, meets new people and regains a sense of purpose. We’re very grateful to EB Scotland for funding the project and to local businesses Whyte & Mackay, Carronvale Timber Frame, IBT, and Buildbase who have all donated their unwanted timber to us.”

Anna adds: “Whilst we produce a range of ‘standard’ items, we’re very flexible and open to peoples’ ideas, and will do our best to turn these into reality.”

View the programme’s catalogue of upcycled products

Building bird boxes Photo: LINDSAY TWILLEY

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Bring an Alien into the classroom!

Did you know that invasive alien species are one of the top five causes of change in nature, causing a decline in native wildlife and significant negative impacts to biodiversity?

Here at the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative we want to help more people learn about invasive species. That’s why we’ve created an all-encompassing online educational resource to support teachers and learners of all ages – Alien Detectives. The resource is packed with content, materials and activities to allow anyone with no previous knowledge of invasive species to deliver a comprehensive learning experience to young people.

To help with initial topic introductions and explanations there are downloadable PowerPoint presentations for each – we’ve done the hard work for you. Then you’ll find activities, worksheets, group challenges, quizzes, puzzles and games – all themed around invasive alien species and all with explanatory notes and answer sheets, to download and share. There’s also a certificate to award to those who have earned the prestigious status of ‘Alien Detective’.

In addition a section on river and outdoor activities is included – we know that having an understanding and appreciation of the natural environment around us is an essential part of comprehending the impacts invasive species have upon it.

The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI) is a four-year partnership project in Northern Scotland led by NatureScot and involving many fishery boards and trusts and the University of Aberdeen. SISI is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and NatureScot. www.invasivespecies.scot

So, no need to fear the aliens! With the help of the Alien Detective resources you’ll be able to deliver this topic to your group or pick out individual activities to complement another environmental topic. If you are within our project area in Northern Scotland, we might be able to come and help you deliver some of the activities in your school – get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

All materials and further information are available here

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The Network Bulletin is produced three times annually and contains news and features on Community Network member groups, plus TCV Scotland projects, programmes and volunteers.

Follow us online8 youtube.com/tcvfilms

twitter.com/tcvscotland #JoinInFeelGood

Hedgehog Question Time

Michael Gäbler

We recently hosted an online Hedgehog Question Time evening in partnership with the Naturehood Earthwatch Europe project. Over 270 people attended to have their hedgehog questions answered with some hints, tips and hog facts thrown in by our Citizen Science Officer Kirsty Crawford and the brilliant hedgehog expert Hugh Warwick.

And there are activities to get stuck into, petitions to sign and a call out for volunteers here in Scotland.

Thanks to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for their continued support of our HogWatch Scotland project!

Catch up with all the evening’s events on YouTube

facebook.com/tcvscotland

Find your nearest TCV Scotland office TCV Scotland’s community, health and environmental volunteering activities are supported by:

The Network Bulletin is published by TCV Scotland.

Views and opinions expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or of The Conservation Volunteers.

Editor Graham Burns E g.burns@tcv.org.uk

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©The Conservation Volunteers 2020. Charity registered in Scotland SC039302, and England 261009. TM The Green Gym programme is registered and protected across the UK and the EU.