New beginnings…..

At this time of year, I think it’s very appropriate to talk about new beginnings. As a DreamWorks character stated “Easter is new beginnings, new life. Easter is about hope,” and so is Spring itself. Hello, I’m Natalie, a new Trainee with Cumbernauld Living Landscape and I’m very new to conservation as my background is actually in childcare, which I

A vital lesson

  By Paul Barclay, Cumbernauld Living Landscape Health and Wellbeing Project Officer This week is Green Health Week and people all over the UK are taking the opportunity to highlight just how vital spending time in nature is to everyone’s health and wellbeing. The last few years have really emphasised this. For many of us, stuck at home, that daily

A week in the life of a new trainee

  My name is Alex, and I’m one of two new Creating Natural Connections Trainees who started recently with Cumbernauld Living Landscape. My first week as a trainee has been an exciting chance to get to know the team and join in with some of the brilliant projects happening across Cumbernauld. My first task of the week was to join

Access to Cumbernauld’s wildlife just got easier

    Cumbernauld walkers and wheelers will find it easier to explore the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Seafar Woods Wildlife Reserve, and North Lanarkshire Council’s Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve, thanks to access improvements carried out through our Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s Access to Nature project over the winter. 760m of paths – over three-quarters of a kilometre – have been upgraded. The

Magic in the air

20 March was the date of the Spring Equinox, when night and day are perfectly balanced with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. For many of our ancestors this was a special time. The cycle of the sun was vital to them and they watched the skies closely, monitoring for signs of change. In many Celtic cultures

Stay home, stay wild

Winter can seem hard to get through at the best of times, but with the current restrictions on top, Cumbernauld Living Landscape feel it’s time to offer local people a whole load of safe, fun, nature-based activities to help see us all through. Our Stay Home, Stay Wild schedule started on Monday, and offers local people of all ages a

Nature Ninjas keeping paths to nature open for everyone

At such a tough time for everyone, it is important to connect with green spaces.  These connections have been shown, in countless studies, to improve mental health. It is therefore imperative that access to green spaces remains easy and unobstructed.  These are some of Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s guiding principles. We continue to operate our “Nature Ninja” volunteer groups in these

Volunteers in the Willows

  The rain is trickling down the small of our backs, our bodies still warming from the tea. “Twenty five to go!” harks the cry from within the group, in an almost victorious tone. Bending the thin strips of willow down, intertwining them with last week’s work (and the week before’s), it’s fair taking shape. As the hiss of the fire

Mindfulness matters

If the recipe for happiness was made of very simple things then one of the ingredients for happiness could well be a plain ‘thank you’. More and more studies confirm that showing gratitude in any shape or form increases our level of happiness. One doesn’t need to be religious or to pray as such for it to work. This thank