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Litter. Everyone hates it, and yet it remains one of our biggest environmental problems. From the cigarette ends and dog poo bags to fly-tipped furniture, it seems like litter is everywhere in our woodlands, parks and streams. No doubt you’ll have heard aware of the waste epidemic in ours sea, but did you know that an…
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Over the past few months, Cumbernauld Living Landscape has been carrying out a lot of consultations about the towns green spaces and the community groups who use them. Thank you to everyone who has taken part and helped us to understand your views about the local green spaces in the town. In the background expert consultants have…
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What a hectic and amazing few weeks we’ve had! As you will have seen last week we won the acclaimed Youth and Education at the Nature of Scotland Awards ceremony. For me that was a huge slab of icing on the cake for the end of our Engaging Communities project – locally known as Natural…
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At the start of August we had two lovely volunteer judges from Keep Scotland Beautiful out assessing areas in our town for the Beautiful Scotland of Cumbernauld’s Bloomin’ Wild. It was a mixed day of sun and showers but that didn’t stop our local groups from shining on the day.
I would like to say a huge thank you to Adam Smith of the Cumbernauld Environmental Society for organising and delivering Cumbernauld’s previous entries over a number of years. This is a huge undertaking and one that surprised us in its depth and requirements.
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The longest day of the year has been and gone. For many, the summer solstice marks a chance to revel in the never ending light, and look forward to the warm months to come. That’s one way to look at it. For others like myself, who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the solstice is often…
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Bee-utiful bumblebee © Katrina Martin
Who else got a bit of a shock when Storm Doris rolled into town?
Like many others I was caught in the traffic as the snow and ice brought the road network to a standstill. It was great to see the spirit of Cumbernauld in action though as people helped out stuck motorists with a push or a shovel.
Cold snaps like this can be a death sentence for wildlife. A few days before Doris we were getting reports of bumblebee queens out looking for nesting sites. Read on to find out more about our bumblebees…..
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Damage sustained from high velocity vehicles limits our ability to carry out conservation work
I love a walk in the woods at this time of year so at the weekend I headed out to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Forest Wood reserve to see if I could spot the beautiful carved wooden pine martens the Trust has hidden among the trees.
The cold, still air carried sound wonderfully and my ears were tuned to the sounds of the birds singing, heralding the oncoming spring. Unfortunately however it wasn’t long before the sounds of the birds were drowned out by the sound of motorbikes.
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Concept plan of Ravenswood LNR improvements
Cumbernauld Living Landscape is currently conducting a community consultation regarding improvements to the entrance to North Lanarkshire Council’s beautiful, Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve.
These improvements include a small outdoor classroom to encourage local primary and secondary schools usage and stewardship of the site. Redesigning the butterfly garden to provide a haven for pollinators and creating a space that local residents can enjoy.
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Enjoying the wonder of a wildflower meadow
Louise and I were delighted to represent Cumbernauld at the Keep Scotland Beautiful Awards held in Aberdeen last week. This is an annual award for towns and communities to recognise the work that groups and volunteers do to improve their spaces and they are an inspiring bunch. Thanks and well done to everyone who helped with this year’s entry.
Cumbernauld won silver for the third year but after getting some tips and trade secrets from the judges I know that with a bit more work and more people involved we can win gold next year.
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Once upon a time having a mental health problem was a taboo subject, something not mentioned in polite conversation, an issue that many sufferers tried to keep a secret even from their loved ones. The times, however, are changing. The success of programmes such as the Scottish Government’s “See Me” campaign to end mental health stigma means that mental health issues should no longer be hidden away. Government statistics show that 1 in 4 people will suffer a mental health ‘event’ at some point in their lives. For many people this will be a fleeting event but for others it will have a profound effect on their lives.