TCV Scotland Network Bulletin Spring 2018

www.tcv.org.uk/scotland

netw rk bulletin Spring 2018

for TCV Scotland’s community Network

I Dig Trees Pages 2 & 3

The I Dig Trees campaigners in Scotland

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Over the current planting season, community groups and schools across the UK have been taking part in the third I Dig Trees campaign, organised by TCV and OVO Energy. Here in Scotland, almost 60 groups and greenspaces have benefited from free packs of native tree species including oak, rowan and silver birch. These will enhance a variety of landscapes, both urban and rural, and provide welcome habitats for wildlife of all shapes and sizes.

Over 24,000 saplings have been planted by volunteers of all ages in locations as far afield as the island of Sanday, in Orkney, to Taliesin, near Castle Douglas, in Dumfries & Galloway (pictured above).

“Our tree planting at Taliesin went very well today. We had a good turnout and lots of morning sunshine. Thank you for the chance to plant so many lovely trees.”

Matt Moodie, South West Community Woodlands Trust

“We are planting a shelter belt around the fencing at our Get Growing Community Garden. Tree species are: English Oak, Beech, Common Alder, Silver Birch, Hornbeam, Downy Birch, Mountain Ash, Aspen, Wild Cherry, Field Maple, Blackthorn, Guelder Rose, Hawthorn, Common Dogwood and Goat Willow! The idea is that as well as helping to protect our garden from the weather, it will become a great place for wildlife including insects, birds and small mammals. The planting is being done by the Get Growing volunteers.

The main challenge of planting trees this far north is the weather! The trees will need a lot of protection in the early years to get them established. We are a fairly sheltered site so hopefully that will offer protection to the saplings – well, as sheltered as you can be on a windswept Orcadian island!”

Emma Neave-Webb, Ranger, Sanday Development Trust TCV’s own volunteers have also been busy tree planting at several sites including Gifford Community Woodland (opposite) and at Oatridge Campus, SRUC, in West Lothian. Here, our Stirling volunteers have planted a new hedge (pictured below).

Thanks also to the Woodland Trust who have contributed free trees to a number of TCV projects this planting season.

rosie walker

Abundant Borders Aultnaskiach Dell SCIO, Inverness Bailies of Bennachie, Aberdeenshire Brechin Buccaneers, Angus Cairnhill Woods Group, E. Dunbartonshire Canal Volunteers, Grangemouth Cantraybridge College, Croy, Inverness CLEAR Buckhaven, Fife Dairsie Community Garden, Fife Dighty Connect, Dundee Dunnet Forestry Trust, Caithness Ecclefechan Community Project, Dumfriesshire Falkirk Community Trust Forres Academy John Muir Award Group, Moray Friends of Carcant, Galashiels Friends of Figgate Park, Edinburgh Friends of Kinneil, Bo’ness Friends of Newtonhill Woodland, Caithness Friends of the Calder, Blantyre Gardening for Health, Lanark Get Growing Community Garden, Sanday, Orkney Girlguiding Scotland ICE, Dundee Greener Kirkcaldy Green Routes, Stirlingshire Green Team Callendar Park, Falkirk Hands on Conservation Volunteers, Aboyne Heriot Bridge Garden, Edinburgh Hurlford Primary School, East Ayrshire John Muir Award Group, Buckhaven, Fife Fife & Kinross Bat Group Lochmaben Golf Club, Dumfriesshire Lockerbie and District Rotary Club Logan Primary School, East Ayrshire Lowther Hills Ski Club C.I.C., South Lanarkshire Maryculter Woodlands Trust, Aberdeen Mary Russell School, Paisley Muiravonside Country Park Volunteers, Falkirk Magnificent Methil, Fife North Edinburgh Arts Oatridge Ranger Service, West Lothian Rosewell Development Trust, Midlothian Rotary Club of Strathaven Rotary District 1010 area 8, South Fife & Kinross South West Community Woodlands Trust, Dumfriesshire Stewarton Woodlands Action Trust, East Ayrshire Stoneheap Woodland Action Group, West Lothian St Joseph’s Academy, Kilmarnock The Green Team, Edinburgh The National Trust for Scotland, Inverurie Troon Youth Club and Muirhead Primary Whynot?, East Lothian Wooplaw Community Woodland, Borders 12th Fife East Neuk Scouts 115th Fife Scout Group

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Nev kilkenny

Local volunteers take a break from ditch digging.

Gifford Community Woodland TCV is pleased to be supporting a community initiative breathing new life into the woods beside the historic village of Gifford in East Lothian.

Gifford Community Woodland covers the 55 acres of Speedy and Fawn Woods, which were purchased from private ownership in 2017 by the local charity Gifford Community Land Company, with support from the Scottish Land Fund. The charity aims to protect and restore the native woodland to benefit wildlife and increase accessibility for the local villagers. Part of this process is clearing two areas of non-native conifer plantation and replacing them with native trees of Scottish provenance.

TCV’s input is being organised by Diane Obst, Senior Project Officer, who says: “This is a great project which we’re proud to be helping in a number of ways, particularly through our Edinburgh midweek volunteer group, and the I Dig Trees programme (see opposite). For the past few months our volunteers have been heading out to Speedy Wood to support the community trust in making the woodland accessible.

We’ve been clearing rhododendron to open up the area for a new path, and to allow access for tree felling. By removing

this non-native invasive species we are also helping to restore the natural biodiversity of the woodland. Using loppers and bow saws we’ve cleared a large area of rhododendron.

The roots were then dug up and removed, so avoiding the use of chemicals, but requiring a lot of hard work and biscuits!

The local community will use the remains of the rhododendron as mulch and the cleared area already has a much more open and pleasant feel.

During the current planting season we are delivering a large tree planting scheme through the I Dig Trees programme. Over 2000 native tree saplings are replacing the former non-native conifer plantation, which has been felled by contractors. Our committed group of midweek volunteers, with the help of the local community, have been planting a mix of broadleaf species including oak, wild cherry and rowan.

Thanks to Neville Kilkenny*, the Project Manager (pictured above with Diane) overlooking the woodland restoration plans, all our project dates are published locally

to encourage people from Gifford to join in to learn new skills, engage with nature, but also to raise wider awareness of nature conservation.”

“It’s been brilliant to have the support of TCV. The experience that Diane and her team bring with them has helped push the project on tremendously and the volunteers have carried the momentum of the clearance work and restocking. Without their help the community would have found the task extremely daunting.”

– Nev Kilkenny, Project Manager Diane adds: “This is a fantastic project and location which our volunteers have really been enjoying. We look forward to continue working with the local community to restore their beautiful woodland.” *Nev is no stranger to TCV having been one of the first trainees on our Natural Talent apprenticeship scheme in 2007, during which he specialised in mycology (fungi), which has led to his work as a consultant field mycologist, amongst other interests.

In addition to the Scottish Land Fund, the Gifford Community Woodland is also funded by Fallago Rig Environment Fund and East Lothian Partnership. Local people and supporters from further afield have also donated money and volunteered time for the project.

Keep up to date with what’s happening in the woodland: www.giffordcommunitywoods. blogspot.co.uk John Wrinn

Facebook giffordcommunitywoodland Twitter @Gifford_Woods

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Aroa – studying shorelines and seaweeds The Natural Talent programme, funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Trust, is run

by TCV and partner organisations to increase expertise across the UK to protect our less well known species and create awareness of the habitats that support them. A new batch of Natural Talent trainees started their 12 month placements in January 2018. Find out more about them and their specialist topics at: tinyurl.com/tcvtalent

In my first few months I also studied coastal lichens and attended a Field Studies Council course on Lichen Identification. Lichens are amazing organisms being a symbiotic association between a fungus and algae (or cyanobacteria). When the fungi needs carbon and food, the algae, by photosynthesis, give the fungi what it needs. Sounds like a perfect relationship!

My Natural Talent traineeship has been focused on the Edinburgh shoreline, from South Queensferry in the west to Joppa in the east. As part of the Edinburgh Living Landscape (ELL) project, I’ve been based at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), working in partnership with Scottish Association for Marine Science. The goal of my project was to monitor current seaweed communities in the intertidal rocky shore along the local shoreline, particularly at Joppa and Granton. My work will enable comparisons to be made over time, as historical survey data already exists in RBGE’s collections, so there will be an exceptional opportunity to identify changes in this important habitat.

The British Isles have a huge diversity of seaweeds, with over 650 species. Over the last few months I’ve been learning to identify seaweeds on rocky shores.

Is it easy? I would say it can be both challenging and exciting at the same time.

Red seaweeds are not always red, brown seaweeds are not always brown, but at least green seaweeds are always green!

Rocky shores are biologically rich intertidal zones – the area between the land and the sea, and can include many different habitat types including cliffs, platforms, rock pools and boulders. Organisms living here experience daily fluctuations in their environment due to the tides, wind, sunlight, etc. For example, the higher up the shore they live, the more extreme the changes are and the more adapted species can cope with stress such as heat stress and desiccation. On the other hand, the lower shore is usually covered by water, and species living there, like Oarweed, Laminaria digitata, are not adapted to long periods of dryness or to extreme temperatures.

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Aroa during a training course on the Isle of Cumbrae, in the Firth of Clyde.

Did you know?

Seaweeds are important for both ecological and economic development.

Seaweeds support underwater habitats, providing food and shelter for thousands of creatures such us fish and molluscs, and protect the coastline by reducing wave action. Seaweeds also photosynthesize, taking CO2 from the atmosphere. Seaweeds are also used for food and in cosmetics and medicines.

Alongside my work at RBGE, I also organised rocky shore events involving members of the public with the less well-known species on the Edinburgh shoreline. I’ve attended many TCV training courses and have been invited to several conferences. For example, I participated in the BRISC Marine Recording Conference last October, and more recently I’ve taken part in the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative (IFLI) conference – From source to resource: making biological recording count. Here, I gave a workshop on seaweeds easily identifiable by the public, to increase awareness on the lack of seaweed records in the UK. And, I was invited to give a talk at the ‘Marine Natural History Society meeting’ at the National Museum of Scotland, to discuss the importance of monitoring seaweeds.

There isn’t a quick way to say thank you to everyone for all the wonderful experiences I’ve had through the Natural Talent programme. I’ve learnt so much that I can’t believe it! I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many interesting people and attend a number of excellent training courses. I’ve gained a lot of confidence and now feel more than ready to continue working in the world of conservation. Thanks!

More information about Aroa’s traineeship is available at tinyurl.com/tcvtalent

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KIRSTY GRANT

Aroa Sampedro-Fernandez is one of the trainees from TCV’s 2017/18 Natural Talent programme. Aroa is originally from North-west Spain and prior to joining Natural Talent had volunteered with a number of environmental organisations in Scotland and Ireland as well as having a scholarship at Oregon State University. Here, Aroa reflects on her recent experiences:

nature notes photos: rebecca strofton

The robin – Britain’s favourite bird Through their considerable efforts, conservation volunteers and community gardeners provide habitats for many of our wildlife species – the common and the not so common. With its vivid orange-red breast, the robin brings a welcome flash of colour to our green spaces and gardens. So what’s the story about this chirpy character?

Here are 20 feathery facts about Robin Redbreast: • Unlike some countries such as America and France, the UK doesn’t have an ‘official’ national bird. However, in 2015 ornithologist David Lindo organised a nationwide poll to discover the UK’s most popular bird. Over 200,000 votes were cast, with the robin taking the top spot with 34% of the votes, beating the barn owl and blackbird into second and third places.

• Male and female robins are identical in appearance, although each individual has a unique breast pattern. Unlike the red breasted adults, Juvenile robins are brown and spotty.

• British robins really are home birds – most are resident here all year round and only a minority migrate to southern Europe during the winter.

• There are estimated to be over 4 million breeding pairs of robin in the UK. • Robins are omnivores so will eat seeds, fruits, worms, insects and other invertebrates.

• Robins are widespread across most of the UK in woodlands, parks, hedges and gardens. Gardeners and allotment holders digging over soil will often have a robin hopping around on the lookout for a tasty grub or worm.

• Robins are one of the first birds to start the dawn chorus and one of the last to stop singing at night.

• The robin is a member of the thrush and chat family and is related to the likes of the blackbird, redstart, and nightingale.

• Robins are one of the few birds that sing almost all year round, including in winter to protect their territories.

• Robins nest close to the ground in ivy and other climbing plants, walls, piles of logs, tree roots etc.

• The first record of a robin taking food from a human dates back to the 6th century.

• British robins are used to people and their tameness is in contrast to their European cousins who are shy and shun human contact.

• Despite their cute image robins are fiercely territorial and will drive away other intruding robins, sometimes fighting to the death. However, they aren’t too bothered about other bird species being near their nest.

• Traditionally, robins were considered as something special and never to be harmed. Even when egg collecting was a popular hobby, it was very rare for collectors to take robin eggs.

• Robins will have 2-4 broods each year, each with a clutch of 4-6 eggs.

• Like other small songbirds, robins are relatively short lived, typically just a couple of years. A major cause of premature robin deaths is the domestic cat! Severe winters also take their toll on robin numbers.

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These pictures were taken by Rebecca Strofton at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. During a pond dipping session this cheeky chappie was tempted by a piece of flapjack!

• If you’re putting food out for robins on a bird table, the usual mix of dried fruit, seeds, fat, cheese etc will be fine, but mealworms will be especially popular.

• Robins are well known for nesting in unusual spots such as discarded kettles, farm machinery, old boots, coat pockets, under car bonnets …

• There are several theories as to why robins became emblems of Christmas. One suggestion is that postmen in Victorian Britain wore bright red uniforms and so were nicknamed ‘robins’, which provided the link between this popular bird and Christmas cards.

• If you want to attract robins to your garden, don’t install a standard bird box with a round entrance hole.

Instead, robins prefer open fronted boxes which should be low down but well hidden from predators, so best placed amongst vegetation.

Robins prefer open fronted nest boxes.

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Green Gym – Do it Yourself 1998 – the year France won the World Cup, Titanic swept the Oscars and Google was founded. And 1998 was the year TCV (BTCV) launched the first Green Gym at Sonning Common, Oxfordshire, inspired by a local GP, William Bird. Dr Bird realised the benefits for peoples’ well being which could be gained from regular conservation and gardening sessions.

As well as the physical benefits, participants’ mental health could also be enhanced through the social contact of joining like-minded people in a shared task. People like Mark McVey featured below. This free alternative to the normal gym also benefits the communities and environment where they operate. The concept has been a great success with 130 Green Gyms now running throughout the UK in local parks, community gardens, nature reserves and miscellaneous green spaces.

Take out a licence Most Green Gyms are set up by TCV and partner organisations such as health agencies, and are usually funded for the first year or two. However, for Green Gyms to be sustainable in the long term the best model is for them to be run by themselves.

TCV has therefore developed a licensing system which allows existing Green Gyms,

A Greenock Green Gymer What do people get out of the Green Gym? Mark McVey is a member of the Coves Reservoir Green Gym in Greenock.

How did you get involved in the Green Gym?

REBECCA STROFTON

After visiting my doctor I was referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as well as the SAMH Gateways programme.

SAMH introduced me to various local and community projects, one of which was the Coves Reservoir Green Gym which I started attending in May 2017.

once established, to continue operating independently, but with TCV support. And the Licence can equally apply to groups wishing to set up a new Green Gym. Through the Green Gym Licence (£150 annually exc VAT) groups receive a ‘how to’ manual on establishing a Green Gym to quality standards, leadership training, use of the Green Gym branding, TCV

What activities has the group been doing?

Our activities have been very varied including path maintenance, litter picking, wildflower planting, basic forest and habitat management, along with more observational tasks such as bio-recording and dead wood surveys.

What are the benefits for you?

Becoming a volunteer has brought me many benefits, both mental and physical.

Having something specific to do every week has brought a bit of structure to my life, interacting with the other volunteers along with the sense of being part of the community, and has gone a long way towards lifting the feelings of isolation and loneliness I was experiencing. I find the physical work and just being outside in nature has lifted my mood, boosted my confidence, and generally made me feel less unfit.

Have you learned any new skills?

Mark helping to manage the woodland at Coves Reservoir.

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Before getting involved with the Green Gym, I was very socially isolated and withdrawn – being part of the group has let me relearn a lot of social skills I’d lost.

I’d never really done any sort of outdoor work at all before volunteering with TCV, but now I’m able to work with tools properly and confidently, as well as having

staff support, evaluation materials, and membership of TCV’s Community Network with its associated benefits. Several community organisations in Scotland currently hold a Green Gym Licence, including West Glasgow Green Gym featured opposite.

Young people too Green Gyms are not only for adults. Young people can benefit as well and School Green Gyms are currently running in 8 East Ayrshire secondary schools, and a new programme of 12 school Green Gyms and 4 youth Green Gyms begin in West Lothian in April, with new funding provided by NHS Lothian.

Interested?

If your group or organisation would like to know more about the Green Gym Licence, please contact David Graham, Business Development Manager, at d.graham@tcv. org.uk or 07764 655715.

General information about the Green Gym is available at www.tcv.org.uk/greengym

a better understanding of when and why the work we’re doing is done. I’ve learned to appreciate the outdoors more and increased my observational skills, being able to identify many trees, plants, animals etc that I never could before. Additionally, volunteering at Coves has prompted me to learn other skills outside the Green Gym, encouraging me to obtain an Emergency First Aid certificate as well as working on my own photography and microelectronics projects related to Coves Reservoir.

What’s the best thing about your conservation volunteering?

For me, the social and community aspects of volunteering have been the most notable. Years of isolation had severely blunted my ability to interact with people socially, but the Coves Reservoir Green Gym has provided a safe environment for me to re-learn the skills I’d lost. My ability to interact with other people as well as simply being able to go outside and enjoy the world is in no small part thanks to volunteering at Coves.

The weekly Coves Reservoir Green Gym is organised by Rebecca Strofton, TCV Senior Project Officer: r.strofton@tcv. org.uk or 07739 447964.

New members always welcome!

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WGGG

spotlight on TCV Community Network member

Taking a break during a general tidy up session beside the Forth & Clyde Canal at Blairdardie, Glasgow.

A small but enthusiastic group of volunteers are helping keep the green in the Dear Green Place*.

The West Glasgow Green Gym was set up by TCV and Drumchapel L.I.F.E. in September 2009 to provide outdoor activities for local people to improve their health and enhance the green spaces in Drumchapel and other areas in the west of the city.

After the project’s initial funding ran out in early 2011, three of the group ran the activity sessions themselves, fortnightly until September 2011, then weekly thereafter. In January 2012, regular member Wendy Cameron took over sole leadership of the Green Gym and continued to do so until January 2017 when Peter Kane took charge. The group is funded by Drumchapel L.I.F.E. and administered and overseen by Margaret Steven, Activity Co-ordinator, based at the local Phoenix Centre, which also acts as the Green Gym’s equipment store and base. Drumchapel L.I.F.E. has taken out a Green Gym Licence with TCV (opposite) to receive ongoing support.

Peter Kane (middle of the group photo) outlines their current activities: “We meet on a weekly basis to undertake various environmental works in the West End of Glasgow. We work throughout the year with breaks at Christmas, Easter and Summer, so the total number of weekly sessions annually is about 37. We have 12 members at present with a very diverse age range, all bringing unique talents and abilities to the group. Workdays

Spring 2018

can range from litter picks in the local woods to helping environmental groups at local schools. Over the past year we have specialised in assisting specific local projects such as rejuvenating the gardens at a local nursery school, helping rebuild the garden at Gartnavel Hospital, and creating an allotment for a special needs project in Yoker. There’s always room in the Green Gym for new members – just get in touch with us.”

West Glasgow Green Gym members were recently asked why they enjoy attending the Green Gym. Here’s a flavour of what they said: “I like looking after the environment.”

“It’s nice to work outside and see the seasons.”

“I meet so many different people.”

“It’s a thing I do for myself. It’s really good to have a bit of time out for me.”

“West Glasgow Green Gym, through Drumchapel L.I.F.E., is an important part of what Forest Enterprise Scotland is doing to improve the woods we look after in Drumchapel. The Green Gym offers practical support to local staff, and their enthusiasm to carry out tasks is very impressive. Past activities have included bracken control within Garscadden East, and cutting back vegetation from path edges within different parts of the woods we help look after. More recently, our request for litter picking to target a specific area by Cleddans Burn was completed within a very quick period of time. Having a local partner like West Glasgow Green Gym is very important and we really do appreciate the volunteers giving up their time to assist us.”

Derek Shannan Community Ranger, Forest Enterprise Scotland For further information, contact Peter Kane at weepete02@outlook.com or Margaret Steven at 0141 944 6004.

Filling a raised bed at the Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre.

On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ West-Glasgow-Green-Gym

*According to the National Library of Scotland, the name Glasgow means ‘place of the green hollow’ or ‘dear green place’ derived from the Brythonic words glas meaning ‘green’ and cau meaning ‘hollow’. In Gaelic it is Glaschu. Brythonic was the language of the Britons who inhabited British kingdoms such as Strathclyde in the sixth century AD.

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How can we reconnect people in urban areas with their local greenspaces and all they have to offer? That’s the main challenge for TCV’s Community Rewilding project which has been working with communities in Yoker (Glasgow), Clydebank and Greenock since March/October 2016. Here, Senior Project Officer Rebecca Strofton explains how the project has developed and what the plan is for 2018: Since the start of the project I’ve worked with many groups and individuals across the three project areas to improve their local greenspaces for both wildlife and people. This has included planting over 1000 native trees, creating wildflower meadows, installing benches and clearing pathways across a variety of sites. As well as physically improving community greenspaces I’ve organised activities and public events to encourage people to get outdoors and make use of the green spaces in their communities for learning, play and leisure.

In the summer of 2017 we were fortunate to receive funding from the Green Infrastructure Community Engagement Fund which has extended the project until the end of 2018. As well as increasing the length of the project the funding has allowed TCV to recruit a second Senior Project Officer, Josh Thornhill, to join me in running practical conservation and engagement activities across the three areas. Josh started in January 2018 and since then has been out and about meeting groups, exploring sites and getting to grips with all things rewilding! josh thornhill

A long tailed tit fitted with a new ring.

Josh and Rebecca Out programmes, continuation of the Coves Reservoir Green Gym in Greenock and volunteering opportunities across the three areas. So, everything from removing non–native rhododendron to bugs hunts and bird ringing! Details of all upcoming activities can be found on the project website along with photos and blogs written by some of our regular participants.

Web: www.communityrewilding.co.uk Twitter: @TCVRewilding Funded by

We are putting together a busy programme of activities for the coming year including training courses, public events, Branching

An important part of the Community Rewilding project is reconnecting families with nature by providing opportunities to learn and play outdoors. Since the project began we’ve been running Rewild the Child sessions during the school holidays and they have been really well received by both the children and parents/ guardians. While the children get a chance to explore, try new things, learn about nature and get some physical exercise, the sessions provide adults with ideas and the confidence to take their children outside to play. Active and creative outdoor play has been proven to be beneficial for the development of children’s physical, cognitive and social skills. And who wouldn’t want to spend their days building dens, catching butterflies and toasting marshmallows?

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rebecca strofton

Rewild the Child

For more ideas and inspiration for outdoor activities, check out the ‘Ideas for Wild Time’ that the Wild Network have put together: www.thewildnetwork.com

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Opening the Path of Possibilities

By Claire Bailly, (right) Senior Project Officer Two young people – Michael (21) and Gabriel (8) were on hand to officially open the path (pictured bottom right).

Afterwards, Michael said: “Some of us were involved in doing the drawings for the path a while ago when this was nothing but a muddy field with lots of trees, so to see it in real life was really exciting! Before, we couldn’t get around here at all but now we have a path that is good for wheelchairs so we can explore a bit more.”

On a beautiful, crisp and clear Sunday in late February, TCV, the 77th Glasgow Disabled Scouts and Auchengillan Outdoor Centre celebrated the culmination of the year-long Nature Connections project.

The newly constructed all-abilities path, aptly named ‘The Path of Possibilities’ by Glasgow Disabled Scouts, was officially opened and unveiled its secrets. Young scouts, volunteer leaders, friends and families took part in a range of activities: artwork using natural materials; lighting fires and cooking gourmet camp fire food, including pancakes and apple crumble; bird watching from the brand new hide; discovering aquatic life from the newly made dipping platform; and taking part in a samba ensemble for a taste of tribal music in the woods. It was a great day with plenty of happy, smiling faces!

As part as the project, the path will also soon welcome a large interpretation panel displaying the history and achievements of the 77th Glasgow Disabled Scouts, which is celebrating its 85th birthday in 2018.

This panel is the result of research carried out during workshops organised by TCV with members of the Scout group which included looking through photos taken from 1933 onwards.

The path will also incorporate elements to enhance the sensory experience of its users, making it an ideal place for people with special needs to learn about the wildlife and habitats along the length of the path.

As well as the path itself the young people have been building a dead hedge, sowing wildflower seeds and planting native wetland plants. And they have already thought of some other ideas to attract more wildlife in the local wood such as erecting bat boxes. The Scouts are looking forward to sharing this space with

other users so they in turn develop a real connection with their environment.

Lead volunteer of the Glasgow Disabled Scouts, Michael Shanks, adds: “This project has opened up the outdoors so that more young people of all abilities can explore, see, and experience the natural environment for themselves. This is a great example of how Scouting gets young people outdoors, experiencing new things and gaining skills for life”.

Glasgow Disabled Scouts provides oneto-one support for young people aged 7 to 25 with complex disabilities and additional support needs. We believe everyone is entitled to an adventure.

Website www.glasgowdisabledscouts.org Facebook @77thGDS

The Nature Connections project, including the Path of Possibilities, has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. simon lees

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WHY? Why do people volunteer with local environmental projects? That’s the question answered recently by these TCV volunteers: Katie O’Neill

local community. Using organic principles the group undertakes grow-your-own, ornamental and wildlife gardening.

Encouraging wildlife is a top priority, so plant selections are made with wildlife in mind, particularly pollinators and birds. The group has created several wildlife features including a bird feeding bed filled with seed producing plants, plus a bug hotel, bird boxes and dead hedge, and this year they hope to add a small wildlife pond.

One of the regular members is Katie O’Neill, who says: “We are quite a varied group demographically and with different employment backgrounds, but we’re actually all quite like-minded – very welcoming and tolerant. I wouldn’t keep coming back if it wasn’t for the fact that people are so tolerant and considerate.

The Gartnavel Gardening Group is run

by TCV within the grounds of Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow, and is open to former patients and members of the

David Murray David Murray has been volunteering with TCV in Glasgow for approximately three years.

“I was paid off from my job and did nothing for a couple of months, so I went online looking for something to do. I’ve always liked the outdoors, gardening and the like. I saw something about TCV, so I just phoned up and started a few days later. We do all sorts – building fences, clearing vegetation, digging ponds, tree and wildflower planting , even drystane dyking. I prefer helping to build things. It’s good for your CV – the job centre told me that as you’re doing something and employers think you’re still busy.

I’m out two or three times a week. It gets you out of your bed, so it’s something to

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We get evidence that the things we do can be positive – there’s a positive outcome to it. I remember coming here in the beginning thinking that I’m going to be planting seeds and I thought there’s no way they are going to grow! But every week there’s something you see that’s different and you know

do in the morning. And it’s motivational – if I didn’t do this I would probably vegetate in front of the TV or something. It gets

you’ve made an impact and you’ve had a part to play in it. That really gives me a lot of hope.

Thinking about this past year – for me the garden’s really been the ignition for me getting back to my life. Learning little things in the garden has translated into me realising that I can learn anything that I put my mind to. I’m learning new skills. It’s so empowering and confidence building. It’s also made me realise that if further down the line I want to go back to my job – than maybe I can.”

Another member of the group commented that involvement in the garden could be life changing, to which Katie replied: “It has been!”

The Gartnavel Gardening Group is funded by the Green Exercise Partnership (SNH, NHS Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland), in conjunction with Art in the Gart. For further information contact Bryony Whyte, Green Activity Project Officer: bryony.white@tcv.org.uk or 07977 406900.

you out of the house meeting and being with people, and having some chit-chat. I love going anywhere where there’s a pond or nice scenery and trees, and I just like travelling around nice countryside.

And I’ve learned a lot – I’m interested in it all.

Sometimes you don’t actually realise you’ve learned new skills, but you have. Things like making raised beds – it’s dead easy now as you just remember from the last time you did it. You learn! I just love the outdoors and you’re always doing something different.

I’d definitely recommend volunteering to others, especially if you’re not working.

There have been so many highlights. I just love the variety of the things that we do.”

The TCV Glasgow volunteers group is organised by Lauren Lochrie, Senior Project Officer: lauren.lochrie@tcv.org.uk or 0141 552 5294.

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Alis Balance

Robert McKay Robert McKay is a volunteer with the Green Gym at the Greenspace for Health project at New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital, Inverness.

How has this changed me? I think that number one, it’s challenging the day to day anxieties that I have, and volunteering gets me out meeting different people and to face different challenges. And then from this, it’s given me the confidence to volunteer at the Centre for Mental Health Recovery in Inverness which has been rewarding, and I’ve been involved with Branching Out and others which I’ve enjoyed. So, it’s been really good.”

“I first became involved in the Greenspace project by referral. Working in this Occupational Therapy garden which had become overgrown, so the idea was to create a lovely, welcoming space for people who are recovering and in hospital.

People could venture into the garden for leisure or to get involved in the upkeep of the garden. Then there are other aspects to it such as the Green Gym where inpatients can come along and do some gentle gardening and exercise. I think what’s valuable about it is connecting with

nature, and people coming together in a friendly and supportive environment. A safe environment – people need that.

Gavin Legg david walsh

“I first volunteered with TCV some 7 years ago down in Hull and I rejoined when I moved up here. I’m not working at the moment so it’s a chance to get outside and do something positive. I’ve recently finished a degree in Farming and Countryside Management so this has given me new skills. I volunteer twice a week and the tasks are varied from clearing invasive vegetation to creating a sensory nature garden in a school for deaf pupils. The best part of it for me is getting outside meeting and working with different people. And you visit locations you otherwise wouldn’t even know about. I would definitely recommend volunteering to others – it’s so enjoyable.”

The TCV Stirling Group is run by Rosie Walker: rosie.walker@tcv.org.uk Tel. 01786 479 697

Spring 2018

It has definitely brought about positive change for me, because prior to volunteering I was very much in a place of avoiding lots of things – I was avoiding leaving the house …. avoiding coming into Inverness. It has brought me out of that. I was encouraged by my CPN to get involved in volunteering. I heard about the Greenspace project which I thought would be an exciting thing to get involved with. I was really enthusiastic about it. Aspects of it just appealed to me because of shared interests – nature, going out into nature, collecting things, doing things with crafts.

The Greenspace for Health project is organised by Alis Balance, Greenspace for Health Project Officer, who says: “I really appreciate the help and support that Robert gives me as a regular TCV volunteer. He is wonderful to work with and has become a valued colleague.”

The Greenspace for Health project at New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital, Inverness, was instigated by a steering group, which included NHS staff and SNH staff, to provide outdoor therapy and recovery programmes involving patients, outpatients and staff. It is funded by the Green Exercise Partnership (Forestry Commission Scotland, SNH and Natural Health Service), and is delivered

by TCV. For details contact Alis: a.balance@tcv.org.uk or 07801 686046.

Charlie Nelson

david meechan

Gavin Legg is a volunteer with TCV’s Stirling group.

So, we went out into nature and created some lovely things like dreamcatchers.

Everyone made a really nice job.

After completing cardiac rehabilitation, 63 year old Charlie Nelson joined the TCV Green Gym based at University Hospital Ayr & Ailsa. The Green Gym is open to hospital patients, staff and visitors, as well as the local community. They undertake a range of light gardening and conservation activities within the hospital’s garden and extensive grounds. Charlie says: “The reason I come along to the Acorn Mind and Body Garden and take part in the Green Gym is a bit of exercise and the opportunity to help people. Once I finished cardiac rehab I wasn’t interested in a regular gym but the green exercise interested me in keeping fit. In the garden you get constant feedback from the other volunteers and you see things growing on a weekly basis. I’m learning about gardening and nature, and I constantly learn new skills.

At first I was unsure of working alongside mental health patients, but I’ve found it to

be a positive experience and my outlook on mental health has changed.”

The Ayr Green Gym runs each Wednesday and Friday and new volunteers are always welcome.

For details contact David Meechan, Greenspace for Health Officer at d.meechan@tcv.org.uk or 01292 885946.

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Congratulations Robert Congratulations to Robert McPhail who was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list ‘for services to the community in Tarbert’. Robert is Secretary and Treasurer of Tarbert Castle Trust, which is run by local people to restore the remains of the castle and its surrounding green space in the Argyll village by Loch Fyne. People like Robert don’t devote their energies to their local communities for any kind of public recognition, but it’s nice when it happens! The Tarbert Castle Trust is a member of TCV’s Community Network and was featured in the Spring 2017 Network Bulletin which can be viewed at: www.issuu.com/tcvscotland

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.

Community Network The benefits of joining TCV’s Community Network are highlighted in the newly developed dedicated website at https://community.tcv.org.uk

Follow us online8

twitter.com/tcvscotland #JoinInFeelGood

Unit M1 143 Charles Street Glasgow G21 2QA T 0141 552 5294 E glasgow@tcv.org.uk

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facebook.com/tcvscotland 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.

©The Conservation Volunteers 2018. Charity registered in Scotland SC039302, and England 261009. Green Gym is a Registered Trade Mark.

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vimeo.com/ conservationvolunteers

Editor Graham Burns E g.burns@tcv.org.uk T 0141 552 5294

TCV Scotland Head Office 24 Allan Park Stirling FK8 2QG T 01786 479697 E scotland@tcv.org.uk

Highland office on the move TCV’s Highland office has recently relocated from Munlochy on the Black Isle to Inverness. Address opposite.

The Granary 44 Mortonhall Gate Edinburgh EH16 6TJ T 0131 664 6170 E edinburgh@tcv.org.uk TCV UK Head Office Sedum House Mallard Way Doncaster DN4 8DB T 01302 388883 E information@tcv.org.uk

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TCV Scotland’s community, health and environmental volunteering activities are supported by:

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