Monthly Community Update for October 2020

Two Woods, 10 Years, 10 Priorities. On 30 July we had an excellent meeting with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) from this starting point to begin detailing the way forward for developing the new Management Agreement and Long Term Plans for Taymount Wood and Five Mile Wood whilst remaining in FLS ownership for the time being. It will take time as everything is brought into place over the coming months but all is looking very promising for a bright future for Nature in Taymount Wood and Five Mile Wood and for their improving value to our local community in West Stormont.

On 6 July, we had our second Wee Adventures bushcraft day of 2026 in Taymount Wood. In the morning, a group of 4-8 year old children enjoyed a wonderful session of knot-tying, shelter building, tree climbing, swing and pull-up construction, ditch-jumping, skipping, mag posts, fairy-house creation and more. In the afternoon, a group of adults with visual or hearing impairment, carers, Vision PK staff and WSWG volunteers joined Biscuit for a variety of bushcraft activities and wide-ranging chat over a picnic in our glorious woodland setting, beautifully tranquil apart from the hourly accompaniment of a very noisy bird-scarer in a nearby field! Adults and children alike enjoyed the delicious picnic boxes from Alison’s Kitchen in Blairgowrie. Thank you to all our much-valued WSWG volunteers who helped out on the day.

On 28 May, WSWG had an excellent site visit to Taymount Wood with Jen Davidson and Munro Kerr to share with them what WSWG wishes to achieve for nature recovery and community through the proposed Management Agreement with FLS and seek their views and advice. Jen is the Conservation and Projects Officer at Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, where she is the co-ordinator of the Nature Connections Partnership Perth and Kinross and the lead for the Climate Connect Perth and Kinross Nature Network which WSWG is part of. Munro Kerr runs a nature recovery business with Alasdair Worrell – Alba Fiadhaich (Ala-ba Fee-ah-eich), its translation being akin to “Wild Scotland”.

A very big thank you again to the Highland Community Energy Society for continuing their support of WSWG as a beneficiary of community funding each year from their Littleton Burn Hydro Scheme at Dalguise. It is a particularly valuable and versatile donation for WSWG each year, so is very much appreciated. Have a look at the WSWG Case Study on their website to remind you of how we have used their funding over the past few years. Visit www.hces.coop and search for the Community Fund.

Tragically, on 11 February, the PKC Planning and Placemaking Committee voted unanimously to approve the proposal for an intensive poultry rearing unit at Newbigging Farm adjacent to Taymount Wood, despite substantial local objection, including from WSWG and many of our members. The only mention of our community woodland in the planning report was as screening for the development and as a buffer for any pollution of King’s Myre Loch SSSI from the production unit. Needless to say, we are extremely sad and disappointed at this outcome.

Slightly belatedly, a very Happy New Year to all our members and supporters and here’s to a good one for us all. We’ve been hinting over the past couple of months at a change of direction for the WSWG Project and so the main purpose of January’s Community Monthly Update is to tell you a bit more about where we are heading in 2026.