Category: News

Natural Connections – A great effort at awards

, by Tracy Lambert
Left to right Provost Jim Leighton MBE, me, Gemma CLL Community Engagement Assistant CJS, Doreen Tesco Community Champion and William our first ever Nature Ninja volunteer Last Thursday a group of participants in the Cumbernauld’s Bloomin’ Wild attended the Beautiful Scotland award in Dunfermline coordinated by Keep Scotland Beautiful.  It was a fantastic day with people from all over Scotland celebrating what make their place special.  These awards are a way of recognising hard work and determination, mostly carried out by volunteers, to improve parks, reserves, business districts and residential gardens.  Read on to find out how Cumbernauld's Bloomin' Wild got on.

Night-time Window on Wildlife

, by Paul Barclay
Have you ever walked through some woodland and wondered what creatures might live there that we can’t see?  That use their superb senses and camouflage to hide from human eyes and come out only when no-one is around. Ever looked out into the garden, or the street and wondered what wildlife visits in the night?  Maybe you’ve heard the scream of a fox, the hoot of an owl or the snuffling of a badger. One way to find out is to throw a light switch or head out with a torch, but by doing so you might frighten off the animals you’d like to see, or at the very least change their behaviour hugely. 

Here Be Dragons

, by Cumbernauld LL
Last week was National Dragonfly Week and it’s the perfect time of year to go looking for these amazing insects. Dragonflies – and their close relatives damselflies – are incredible creatures. The ancestors of our modern dragonflies evolved before dinosaurs walked the Earth, some 300 million years ago. However, they were much bigger then, with wingspans of up to two feet! 

Cumbernauld's Bloomin' Wild

, by Cumbernauld LL
This year Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s Natural Connections Project is coordinating the town’s Beautiful Scotland entry in the national competition organised by Keep Scotland Beautiful. One aspect of the competition is the preparation of a portfolio of photographs of the town looking at its best – bright, colourful and bursting with natural beauty. This seemed like a perfect job for the Wild Ways Well wellbeing group, so last Friday we equipped ourselves with cameras and headed out.

Natural Connections – Schools Out!

, by Cumbernauld LL
  School’s out for summer! Even the best student looks forward to July and the start of the long summer break. It always seemed to flash past as a child, but I suspect for parents, who have to think up ways of keeping the kids amused, it took a little longer. This summer Cumbernauld Living Landscape will be doing our best to help out families looking for fun events. Every Wednesday throughout July we’ll be out in the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Cumbernauld Glen reserve with a selection of nature based games, tasks and activities. 

Natural Connections – Community makes a difference

, by Cumbernauld LL
Community and The Conservation Volunteers getting stuck in Sometimes projects can take a few years to plan.  Planning for our current project at Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve began way back in 2014 and was the original basis of The Conservation Volunteer Community Engagement trainee-ship post.  However things happen, groups disband, ideas sometimes get put on hold and other priorities come to the fore, but these ideas are never quashed.

Sanctuary Scotland helps high school pupils experience nature

, by Cumbernauld LL
Click on the image to begin video.   Sanctuary Scotland came out with us recently on a Natural Connections workshop at St Maurice's pond to discover how the towns young people are connecting with nature.  Funding from Sanctuary Scotland has helped purchase tools and PPE for Students which will enable them to continue the legacy of Natural Connections. 

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