On Sunday 28 January, from 1.30-3.30pm in Stanley Village Hall, Cath Lloyd of the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership is leading the initial Stanley Biodiversity Village Mapping Session. This is a hugely exciting project for the whole Stanley community to get behind and WSWG is participating too. From bird feeders in your garden to nature recovery in Taymount and Five Mile Woods, we can all do our bit for nature going forward, individually and collectively. We’ve got the big hall for the event, so if you live in the Stanley and District area, do please come along to this free event to learn more about the Biodiversity Villages initiative and help map what you know about our local biodiversity (good and bad) and what you think we could do to protect and enhance nature in the Stanley area. Free refreshments will be provided too. Click here for the poster for this event and please forward to anyone you think might be interested in joining in.
Hopefully this month’s photo focus on biodiversity in the Stanley area in recent years will entice you to come along. And perhaps act as some light relief to the essential other focus in this update …. the major fundraising goal we have ahead in 2024!
What has WSWG been doing this month?
Having a lovely Christmas break. Happy New Year to all WSWG members and supporters and here’s to us successfully raising the funding needed to purchase Taymount Wood in 2024! A big task indeed but totally achievable with the positive support of our local community!
A lovely festive showcase opportunity for the WSWG Project at the Climate Action Hub Christmas Gathering on 15 December at the Co-Working in Dunkeld and Birnam. Thank you to Jess and Lindsey for a really great day.
Application submitted on 15 December to PKC Green Living Fund to enable WSWG to host diverse community groups and organisations at events with climate action and learning in mind. Please look out for community voting which starts in early February to give our Wizzy-WARP 2024 Project as much support as you can. See link for a closer look. Participatory budgeting (communitychoices.scot)
Our popular and beautiful WSWG Wildflowers and Friends 2024 calendar has sold really well and we now only have a few left. Support WSWG and brighten your walls by buying one of our calendars for a small donation of £10 (plus £2 postage if required). Lovely for your own home or workplace, a great New Year’s gift for anyone who slipped your Christmas list or has a birthday soon! Please email us to order yours to help us maximise the proceeds going towards our shared goal of bringing Taymount and Five Mile Woods into community ownership. Thank you in anticipation of your much needed and valued support here.
On 16 December, the old board members took the new board members for a guided walk around Taymount Wood to highlight the key aspects of the Woodland Management Plan for nature recovery and community benefit on the ground, giving a great opportunity for free-flowing discussion around fundraising and other urgent matters for the WSWG project in 2024. It is great to have new ideas and energy coming into the mix at this critical stage.
Your new WSWG board of Trustees now includes: Shonagh Moore, Elspeth Coutts, Peter Hemmings, Nicole Connelly, Murray Gauld, Alan Ross and Hannah Esdaile. Roles and responsibilities are still being worked out between us so we will update you on this through the Meet the Teams page on our website in due course.
Exploratory Teams meeting on 9 January with Nicki Souter Associates to review possible role for professional fundraising as part of WSWG’s 2024 Fundraising Strategy.
On 11 January, WSWG participated in an NHS Tayside Teams meeting on Nature Prescribing in Perth and Kinross and will be contributing to the development of a Nature Prescribing Calendar for Perth and Kinross.
On 11 January, we attended a meeting with Tayside Woodland Partnerships in Blairgowrie and with whom we are planning another a joint community picnic in Taymount Wood in May. More details in due course.
16 January saw our final 1 to 1 session to complete our attendance at the Measuring Social Impact course run by Just Enterprise and Social Value Lab. A very valuable learning exercise for us to take forward in practice.
Word of the Month
Rock: A term used in American financial-speak for a million dollars. WSWG needs to raise 2.5 rocks during 2024 to purchase Taymount Wood and run the Wildwood Project for the first two years. Hopefully 1.2 rocks will come from the Scottish Land Fund (fingers crossed) and a further 0.1 is on the table from a very generous anonymous donation. 1.2 more rocks to go! All help welcome.
What’s coming up next?
A major focus on fundraising, fundraising and more fundraising.
On 21 January, weather permitting, WSWG trustees plan to recce the core path from Shielhill in Stanley to Taymount Wood south entrance to assess accessibility issues along its length and see its potential as a biodiversity corridor. If anyone would like to join us, please get in touch.
And of course …. Sunday 28 January 1.30-3.30pm – Tayside Biodiversity Partnership is hosting the initial Stanley Biodiversity Village Mapping Session in Stanley Village Hall. All welcome.
And Finally …
