Community Monthly Update – November 2022

The big thing this month has been “Community Consultation 2” from 17 to 31 October on the WSWG Proposal. This mainly on-line survey has delivered its intended purpose, which was to provide evidence of community support for WSWG’s proposed plans for Taymount and Five Mile Woods in community ownership. Here is a summary of the key and very pleasing results from the survey which will be going into our CATS application in a couple of weeks' time.

What has WSWG been doing this month?

The “Community Consultation 2” survey! Which brought in a welcome 173 responses representing 376 adults and children

71.3% of responses from the WSWG area; 28.7% from outwith the WSWG area
52.3% of responses from members and associates, 47.7% from non-members

And here’s the level of support for different elements of the WSWG Proposal. Where 1 was strongly disagree and 5 was strongly agree, these are the average scores out of 5 for each area. This is overwhelmingly positive!

Once our current workload with finalising the CATS application has eased, we will respond in more detail to the broad themes which came up in the survey and answer some of the specific questions people asked.

But overall, we are just so pleased with the expression of community support this represents for the WSWG Proposal going forward as the basis of our CATS application at the end of November. Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this important Consultation, members, associates and non-members alike.

If you missed this chance to give us your feedback then you’ll be pleased to know that the survey is still available on the WSWG website so that anyone who has not yet had their say can still contribute their responses and thoughts. Follow this link

A Quick Reminder of the Plans

Proposed Access Improvements for Five Mile Wood (Note: smaller features like dispersed seats, picnic benches and waymarkers not shown at this scale)

Long term Vision for a restructured Taymount Wood – an enriched and healthy environment for both people and nature

Other Activities this Month

Continuing work on the Business Plan and associated documentation to support the WSWG Proposal in our impending CATS application
Joint instruction to Galbraith from FLS and WSWG for updated valuations for both woods
20 October – progress meeting with Forestry and Land Scotland
Outreach for letters of support from a range of stakeholders to submit with our CATS Application
Met up with Lindsay McManamon, our new local contact for the P&K Health and Social Care Partnership. Looking forward to working with her on our Healthy Living theme in future and thank you to her predecessor, Fiona Johnstone, for all her helpful advice and support for WSWG previously.

Word of the Month

Appreciation: The WSWG Project is such a fantastic, one-off opportunity for our community and our local environment, and our appreciation of your support on our long journey to date is huge. Thank you.

What’s coming up next?

We have decided to leave the survey open on the WSWG website so that anyone who has not yet had their say can still contribute their responses and thoughts. Follow this link
Target date for submission of our WSWG CATS Application – 28 November 2022. Watch this space!
We know we’ve been a bit poor on the events front this year due to the massive workload required in getting everything prepared for the CATS application, but we do hope to arrange a few activities during December and in early 2023 which we will let you know about asap! Watch this space too!

A pretty November scene in Taymount Wood. Note the plastic-free tubes showing their durability – still intact and working 9 months after community events last winter to protect natural regeneration of native tree species such as oak and hawthorn from deer browsing

Community Monthly Update – May 2024

May 16, 2024

We are really delighted this month to start with the announcement that the winner of the WSWG April Photography Competition in the Children’s category is Dougie from Highland Perthshire. His stunning and clever photograph was taken at the head of Loch Rannoch, looking west, on Saturday 20 April. Such a beautiful, calm scene in our precious Perthshire countryside, but just look at the perfect capture of the beautiful splash effect at its heart. A truly super photo.

Congratulations, Dougie. Thank you very much for taking part in this competition and your well-deserved prize will be making its way to you very soon.

Community Monthly Update – April 2024

April 25, 2024

On Sunday 14 April, a lovely bunch of people turned out for a WSWG Guided Climate and Biodiversity Walk in Taymount Wood to celebrate the start of the new Perth & Kinross Climate Action Hub (PKCAH) for which funding has been secured from the Scottish Government.

Community Monthly Update – March 2024

March 18, 2024

It is a disappointing thing to have to do, but a surprisingly rewarding thing to have done. We are talking about picking up someone else’s litter. We all know Taymount Wood car park occasionally suffers from fly tipping, but it is regular littering which is more of a chronic problem, clogging the ditches, being strewn around the verges, blown into the brambles and nettles, overgrown by rank grass, buried in the soil, or crushed by vehicles if not removed regularly.

Community Monthly Update – February 2024

February 19, 2024

First up this month, a big thank you to the Community Payback Team from Westbank in Perth who very kindly made an impromptu stop when passing to remove the worst of some fly tipping they spotted in the Taymount Wood car park in January. A heap of black bin-bags full of spent growing medium and general rubbish had been dumped near the entrance gate a few days earlier. They were unable to clear it all up in one go but are going to come back to complete the task for us. Moreover, they have offered to keep a watching eye on the site in future and clear up what they can. That will be such a help.

Community Monthly Update – January 2024

January 17, 2024

Unusually, we’re starting this Monthly Update with a “What’s Coming Up Next” item! This message is principally for people in the Stanley and District community but we’d love to suggest all villages in the West Stormont area follow suit with their own aim of becoming a Biodiversity Village.

Community Monthly Update – December 2023

December 14, 2023

It’s another year end and this time WSWG member Françoise from Stanley has created an exquisite 2024 calendar of “Wildflowers and Friends” she photographed in Taymount Wood this year to help raise funds for WSWG. Having gone for a print run of 50, these gorgeous calendars are available on a first-come, first-served basis for a donation of £10 (or a bit more if you wish!) with net proceeds going towards the purchase of the woods.

West Stormont
Woodland Group

Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) SC051682