Author: Paul Barclay

Three cheers for young volunteers

, by Paul Barclay
Last week we were back at the Scottish Parliament for an event hosted by the Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf. It was in honour of Police Scotland’s Youth Volunteers, an organisation that has an active presence in Cumbernauld. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was there to hear the testimonies of the young people, their adult instructors and our very own Tracy Lambert,…

Summer Days

, by Paul Barclay
After the warm weather in early summer you might be forgiven for thinking autumn had arrived early recently. It’s been a topsy-turvy year weather wise and there’s no doubt that some parts of nature are as confused as I am. Early summer plants like cowslips are coming back into flower over recent weeks and I’m still seeing breeding behaviour going…

Wasps… what are they good for?

, by Paul Barclay
It’s that time of year again. You might be enjoying a picnic, eating your lunch in the town centre, or relaxing with a cup of tea in the garden. Before long you’ll catch sight of the dreaded black and yellow stripes of a wasp coming to see what you’re up to. A question we’re often asked at this time of…

International Youth Day

, by Paul Barclay
  This Sunday, 12 August, has been declared International Youth Day by the United Nations. The theme of this year’s Youth Day is Safe Spaces where children, no matter their background can be assured of equality, respect and self worth. At Cumbernauld Living Landscape we work with children of all ages, from literal babies in arms in our Wild Ways Well…

The Big Butterfly Count

, by Paul Barclay
I’ve got a simple rule in my daily life. When Sir David Attenborough tells me to do something I do it! You may have seen the great man on various media channels over the last few weeks promoting something called the Big Butterfly Count, a national scheme to try and record the numbers of butterflies that are living alongside us.…

Riggfest 2018

, by Paul Barclay
Cumbernauld Living Landscape was represented at Riggfest last week, a youth outdoor learning festival at Palacerigg. We had a great time with the young people, playing a variety of simple team building games and building woodland shelters. The kids were full of energy and enthusiasm – and the sun was shining which always helps! I was impressed with how well…

Heatwave

, by Paul Barclay
It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that it’s hot outside! This weather has been a boon for Human sun-worshippers but it is a difficult time for wildlife. Just like the recent stories of how our train tracks and roads are struggling to cope with temperatures outside of Scotland’s normal range, so too are our native species. They’re adapted to live…

Wild Ways Well 10/07/2018

, by Paul Barclay
It’s been a while since we had a Wild Ways Well update, so apologies for the lack of news.  Lack of news doesn’t mean lack of activity though – quite the reverse! We had a lovely day at the end of June in Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve when we were able to present our inaugural Wild Ways Well certificates and…

Celebrating success through the John Muir Award

, by Paul Barclay
We were delighted last week to present several members of our Wild Ways Well Tuesday group with their John Muir Awards. These hard-earned awards recognise people’s commitment to the environment and they fit perfectly with our own programme. To earn their award everyone has committed at least four days effort, and met four challenges: Discover, Explore, Conserve, Share. They’re not…

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Engaging comunities, Public opinion, Wildlife Watch Group, Weekend Volunteering, Yew, Chirstmas, Comments, Disqus, Make it count, Plastics, Frost, Beautiful, Green Routes, SUSTRANS, CSGNt, Memories, Play, National Toast Day, Tracks, International Year of the Forest, Wildlife gardening, Forestwood, Flowers, Cowslips, Black birds, Swift, Witch, Wizard, Magic, Inspiring