A huge thank you to Biscuit for his awe-inspiring delivery skills and to all the children for coming along on the day and being so brilliant.
As Granny S wrote afterwards:
“What a great afternoon for kids and adults alike! Engaged young people enjoying each other’s company whilst tackling Biscuit’s challenges and learning about the wood and climate change. A red squirrel and various insects were spotted, leading to further discussion. A very positive afternoon with not a screen in sight (other than adults taking photos). Thank you, West Stormont Woodland Group.”
What else has WSWG been doing this month?
On 9 October we had a lovely recce round Taymount Wood with a new artist friend to identify possible survey locations as part of an Art and Ecology project based on Moths. Looking forward to this lovely project getting properly underway in spring 2025 and further adding to our nature knowledge and enjoyment of the woods.
At the Stanley Community Council meeting on 21 October, we gave a 10-minute update jointly on behalf of WSWG and Tayside Woodland Partnerships (TWP) on plans for the half acre Wildwood Rookery as a prospective Stanley Biodiversity Village Project. We are having a further meeting with PKC on 15 November to discuss the next steps, and will be updating the Community Council on progress on a regular basis and ensuring community engagement and consultation going forward.
A big thank you to the Stanley Men’s Shed for building a mounting frame for our new noticeboard which WSWG trustee, Peter Hemmings, has now fixed on the gate at the Taymount Wood car park. Peter is currently revamping the old noticeboard to give it a new lease of life for going on the gate at Five Mile Wood soon.
On 30 October, as a participant in the process to create a Community Climate Hub to support all the groups, organisations and networks taking action for climate in Perth and Kinross, we attended a presentation at the Letham Hub introducing a proposed model for taking it forward in the most effective and sustainable way. So interesting to see this outcome from the positive engagement with all of us for over a year. We’ll keep you posted on this very worthwhile initiative.
We have long been aware of the presence of the “Newfie Camp” at Taymount Wood housing civilian Canadian loggers during World War II. However, a WSWG member who is a keen local historian forwarded us a snippet he had noted in an article in the Autumn 2024 issue of History Scotland on the work of the military Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) in Scotland during both World Wars. It reported that the National Library of Scotland holds a single copy of a little-known slim volume of verse entitled “The Poems of a Canadian Woodman” by Corporal A Mellema of 108 Company, CFC. His introduction to the pamphlet is dated 23 July 1917 at Stanley in Perthshire. One of the sixteen poems in this tiny sixteen-page collection is called ‘Taymount Camp’, Stanley. This is WSWG’s first record of Canadian loggers at Taymount Wood during World War I. More history to find out about perhaps and we’ll also see if we may be able to share the poem at some point too.
And finally, an early note to say that, as the next two or three months are going to be very busy for the WSWG board, we are postponing the WSWG AGM until February or March 2025.
Word of the Month
Bushcraft: “The term bushcraft originally referred to the skills of living/surviving in the Australian or African Bush. In the UK we have taken hold of the word and adapted it, widening its use to encompass the many special aspects of the subject. For me, it brings together some key/magical ingredients: adventure, creativity, inspiration, survival skills, which are all-in-all good for wellbeing. At the heart of good bushcraft is a philosophy that focuses on “working with our environment,” rather than a focus on disaster survival where you do whatever you need to in order to survive the immediate situation. For me bushcraft should also challenge people’s perceptions/the way they see their environment. (Source: Dave Watson of Woodland Survival Crafts on www.muddyfaces.co.uk)
The Wee Adventures Bushcraft event was funded by the PKC Green Living Fund and WSWG as part of our WizzyWARP24 Programme.
What’s coming up next?
- 23 November to 1 December National Tree Week Whether you plant a tree, hug a tree, draw a tree, read about trees, write a poem about trees or just walk through the woods admiring the trees, why not do something special this National Tree Week to celebrate the wonderful things that trees and woodlands are and mean to us.
- 3rd December 2-3pm. Book a place on this webinar hosted by the Community Woodland Association to hear how Friends of Glenan Wood use INaturalist to record flora and fauna sightings in Glenan Wood. https://www.communitywoods.org/inaturalist-app-benefits-for-woodland-groups
