Turning inside out

So, I don’t know about you, but I am personally sick of shielding! I have learned that in these past few months being outside has a level of importance to me that I took for granted. Lack of exercise and that feeling of freedom of movement have left me sore and in low mood. It is not natural to stay

Weird Cumbernauld place names

Local resident Kate Fromings has written this guest blog about the weird origins of place names in Cumbernauld   ©Kate Fromings – Crags at Walton Burn   ©Kate Fromings – Luggie Water   Have you ever heard a strange word and wondered how it came to be used? In nature we find that words are often passed down from our

Our volunteers are back in the outdoors!

We are delighted to announce that our volunteer groups are heading back outdoors! These groups will be operating at a reduced capacity with social distance checks to follow current Covid-19 guidelines. We aim to carry out vital tasks in the community – litter picks, invasive species removal and path maintenance. Our volunteers are ecstatic at the possibility of heading back

A closer look at moths

I have always been a lover of butterflies, but it took me a bit more time to come around to moths. Until I started working for the Cumbernauld Living Landscape I used to think that moths were all little brown jobs, drab, mono-colour, and basically dull. As it turns out I am so very wrong and that every day really

If you go down to the meadows today

The Cumbernauld Living Landscape team are gradually getting back out to visit some greenspaces in Cumbernauld. Tracy, our Project Officer for Young People visited St Maurice’s Pond recently and was amazed at how much the meadow was thriving! There’s such a diverse range of plant species to be found including knapweed, yellow rattle and birds foot trefoil. Benefiting from these

Taking Care Of Our Greenspaces

Local resident Kate Fromings has written this guest blog about why we should take better care of the town’s greenspaces.  In Cumbernauld we are incredibly lucky to have the use of a plethora of greenspaces. No matter which side of the town you reside in, there’s a piece of nature just minutes from your front door. Abronhill has Forest Wood,

It’s time to reconsider our relationship with nettles

Nettles get a bad rap. Everybody has a story of getting a painful sting from them. We’re all too familiar with the horrible, lingering, pulsating, annoying sensation after you brush past their leaves. But, I’m about to rock the boat by saying that we should be encouraging more nettles into our lives. These are plants that truly deserve a reappraisal

Celebrating Abronhill

Like many people, we’ve been doing a lot of video conferencing. I’ve had two video conferences recently that made me think about how we can still connect with local people during this unusual time and what activities we’ll be doing when we come out it. Attending events is a great way for us to connect with local people and to

A little breathing space

There has been much talk of children returning to school and how that might look in the months to come. Parents and guardians may be coping well with the routine of home schooling while others are struggling. Much of the pressure – even before Covid-19- is based around the curriculum and how a child conforms. This can mean we sometimes