Northern Lights above Taymount Wood, January 2025
What has WSWG been doing this month?
And just to continue on a tree works theme, Forestry and Land Scotland have advised us that SSE will be taking access to Taymount woods for one week commencing on 18th February 2025 to clear their overhead powerline of trees that pose a risk to the line. The red-marked lines on the map below show the powerline in question, which crosses a core path. SSE have advised that they will employ banksmen to maintain safe access along the core path for the duration of the works. Please be aware of this if walking in the wood and do heed all advice from the operators.
So with admin to the fore at this time, there have been lots of WSWG trustee meetings and workshops building on our many developments and successes in 2024 and previewing our key plans for 2025: top of the list being to submit a major funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NHLF); also continuing with our events programme, keeping up our crucial networking and engagement activities, loving our beautiful woods and celebrating all the wonders we discover in them.
We had a very useful site visit to Taymount Wood with Graeme Findlay of Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) on 19 January to update and discuss options going forward down the NLHF route. We subsequently received approval from FLS for a welcome year’s extension to the CATS offer deadline for purchasing Taymount Wood, for review as necessary at 30 January 2026.
On 21 January, WSWG Trustees attended a very informative webinar on using AI to help with fundraising, organised by the Community Woodlands Association and presented by Scottish AI Alliance.
We enjoyed another excellent on-line meeting with Perthshire Nature Connections Partnership on 29 January. See below for details of an in-person PNCP Gathering on 14 March at Birnam Arts at which WSWG is one of four community projects being showcased. If you would like to attend, use the link below to reserve a place. Please note that places at PNCP events get snapped up quickly so book soon to avoid disappointment.
Also on 29 January, we attended a fascinating and inspiring talk by Kate Holl of NatureScot, organised by the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, on restoring woodland flora – entitled “Reflowering Scotland”. Exactly what we wish for Taymount and Five Mile Woods where currently a very rich flora exists along the forest track verges but with very impoverished wildflower diversity elsewhere in the woods.
There has been ongoing development work with Tayside Woodland Partnerships and PKC regarding the future of Stanley Wildwood Rookery as a community project under the Stanley Biodiversity Village initiative. We aim to give an update to the Stanley Community Council meeting on 24 February and then subsequently organise a public meeting to stimulate wider community engagement in the forward plan.
As a very committed contributor to the still fairly new Stanley Biodiversity Village initiative, WSWG is currently helping Tayside Biodiversity Partnership (TBP) to roll out a number of exciting projects this year, including actions for hedgehogs, swifts, bats, bees and other pollinators. As part of this, we attended a fabulous webinar on Hedgehog Ecology hosted by TBP and delivered by the Biological Recording Company, with an attendance for them of over 600 people, more than they have had for any other webinar to date. There is so much we can do locally to help hedgehogs and other wildlife, so look out for biodiversity events and activities you can get involved in during 2025 and we’ll keep updating you as to what is going on as much as we can.
Word of the Month
Aurora Borealis Also known as the Northern Lights, this is a natural light display in Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in high altitude regions around the Arctic, but which we have been experiencing much further south than usual of late. Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. (Adapted from Wikipedia.)
What’s coming up next?
Friday 14 March 9am to 2pm: Perthshire Nature Connections Partnership Gathering at Birnam Arts at which you can hear from a range of speakers (including WSWG) about some of the top nature recovery projects in this part of the country. It is also an opportunity to connect with individuals and organisations from across Perth and Kinross who share the passion and commitment for protecting and restoring nature. Light refreshments provided.
In our March Community Monthly Update, we hope to bring you more on our application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as a proposed date for our AGM and an update on the remaining events in our PKC Green Living Fund WizzyWARP24 programme.
