Creating Space to Grow - BTCV Scotland
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Transcript of Creating Space to Grow - BTCV Scotland
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8/8/2019 Creating Space to Grow - BTCV Scotland
1/8Space to Gro
Creating Space to Gro
.btcv.org/scotland BTCV Scotland
All over Scotland people arecoming together to improve
their surroundings and quality o
lie. Using the local environment
as a ocus and tool or change,
individuals can increase their on
skills, condence and ell being,
hilst communities become
stronger, healthier and more
sel-sucient.
There are increasing opportunities
or people to enhance their local
neighbourhoods and green spaces
the parks, gardens, back courts,
allotments, oods, nature reserves, ponds
and aterays. To oster this community
action BTCV Scotland has developed the
Space to Growprogramme, unded by the
Big Lottery Fund. Further support or BTCV
Scotlands community ork is provided
by The Scottish Government and Scottish
Natural Heritage.
Beteen 2008 and 202, Space to Grow
aims to involve some 5,000 people in over
00 areas, particularly in disadvantaged
communities, rom rural villages to urban
housing schemes. By being both attractive
and relevant, the programmes activities
encourage and value the contribution that
people o all ages, backgrounds, cultures
and abilities can make.
Space to Growhas three main themes:
Active and Connected Communities..... 2-3
Healthy Communities ........................... 4-5
Learning Communities.......................... 6-7
The common thread running through these
activities is the involvement o local people
hat they can give and hat they can
gain.
I you eel that Space to Growcan
assist in your local environmental
project, contact your nearest BTCV
Scotland oce (see page 8).
Toryglen
Blackness
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2/8
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3/8Space to Gro 3
ties 8 .btcv.org/netork
ommunity Mentors
The projects highlighted opposite illustrate
the role that BTCV Scotlands sta
nd volunteers can play in stimulating
ommunity action, but or grassrootsprojects to succeed local people must be
t their heart. w th this in mind BTCV
Scotland has developed the Community
Mentor programme. Community Mentors
re individuals able to inspire, motivate and
lead their neighbours to come together to
improve their local area.
The programme provides participants
ith the chance to learn some o the
practical nuts and bolts o developing
community project such as health &aety, understanding biodiversity, group
rganisation, and undraising. Ater their
initial training period Community Mentors
ontinue to receive support and guidance
rom BTCV Scotland to help transorm their
ideas into reality.
Brothers illie and Terry Forey (top) are
members o the Drumchapel w odland
Group hich they set up ith the help o
the Forestry Commission. They became
Community Mentors to increase their
n skills and help their group care or
Garscadden wood, by Drumchapel housing
cheme in Glasgo. In 2008 the groups
orts ere recognised in the Scotlands
Finest Woodlands Awards.
ommunity Localction Netork
n addition to the direct help BTCV Scotland
provides on the ground, urther supports available through the Community Local
ction Netork (CLAN). CLAN provides
normation (including a regular Bulletin),
dvice, unding actsheets, discounted
raining, tools and plants, plus invitations to
vents and other opportunities or groups
o share their experiences.
CLAN members can also access BTCVs
nsurance scheme hich currently enables
ver 70 independent groups in Scotland
o organise their environmental activities
ith the peace o mind provided by
ssential insurance cover.
ull CLAN membership costs 35 per year
but i groups dont require the ull package
benets they can still join CLAN as
egistered members ree o charge and
eceive the CLAN Bulletin plus nes o
nvironmental events and campaigns being
un by BTCV and other organisations.
e members to the netork are alays
ery elcome!
Completing theCommunity Mentor
programme has reallyenhanced ourknowledge o theconservation andenvironmentalsectors. Its been asteep but veryinterestinglearningcurve.terryforey
The topics coveredwere amazing and
gave us a goodinsight into dierent
environmentalprojects. From my
own perspectiveIm keen to pass
on my knowledgeto the younger
generation.willieforey
CLAN encompasses a antastic spectrum
o environmental and community groups.
Heres a small cross section:
Alva Glen Heritage Trust
8 .alvaglen.org.uk
Borders Organic Gardeners
8 .bordersorganicgardeners.org.uk
GreenFerry Trust
8 .greenerry.org.uk
Ne Caledonian woodlands
8 .necaledonianoodlands.org
Lothian Conservation Volunteers
8 .lcv.org.uk
Scottish Badgers
8 .scottishbadgers.org.uk
The Green Team
8 .greenteam.org.uk
Volunteers from Morvern Community
oodlands building a woodland shelter for
ommunity events.
FCS
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5/8Space to Gro 5
8 .btcv.org/greengym
Healthy walks
In recent years BTCV Scotland, in
association ith a number o health
authorities, has organised a series o
healthy alks programmes in Glasgo,
Ayrshire and Coatbridge, North
Lanarkshire. Regular alking ith a group
o like-minded people provides a sae and
sociable ay or people to stay active.
Depending on participants tness levels,alks have ranged rom short rambles in
and around urban areas through to longer
(and more challenging) alks in the hills
and countryside to locations such as Ben
Lomond, Glencoe and Loch Katrine (right).
Rshni Hafz (above) participated
in one o BTCV Scotlands Healthy
Hillalking programmes. Although born
visually impaired Roshni is involved in many
community activities and has encouraged
others to access the countryside and enjoy
hats on their doorstep: Hill alks have
been incredibly healing or me. For years,
blind people ere not encouraged to take
part in any kind o exercise or health and
saety reasons hich made no sense at all.
As Roshni has discovered, its good to alk!
Keep well
Draing on its experience o both Green
Gyms and Healthy walks, BTCV ill be
developing a number o Keep well
projects in dierent parts o the country.
working ith NHS Trusts and Community
Health Partnerships, the aim o Keep well is
to actively identiy people at greatest risk o
ill health and tailor green exercise activities
to their needs.
GILESLAMB
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6/86 BTCV Scotland
Learn ng commun t es
EnvironmentalTraining Programme
Many people are keen to learn resh skills
hether or ork related reasons, or or
community project, or simply or the
atisaction o learning something ne. To
meet this demand BTCV Scotland oers
hort courses, typically one or to days,
overing a ide and expanding range
topics. Each course is conducted in a
riendly, inormal atmosphere and led by
xperienced trainers.
Courses ith a community ocus include:
l Inspiring Communities
l Community Gardening
l Environmental Education
l Involving Young People
l Leadership Skills
Other training themes cover practical
onservation skills, traditional rural
rats, aspects o Scottish ildlie, and
habitat management. Topics are as varied
s drystane dyking, illo orking,
ildfoer identication and caring or
oodlands. These courses can be attended
s one-o events or may be part o a
more structured learning programme (see
pposite).
BTCV Scotland provides numerous
opportunities or people to
learn ne skills, improve their
condence and enhance their jobprospects, a key element being
learning through doing.Kieren Jones rom Stirling
has been a regular trainingcourse participant:
BTCV courses allowed meto continue learning new
skills ater I graduatedrom university. Ive been
on courses as varied asFreshwater Invertebrates,
Butterfy Transects,
Amphibians, Phase 1Habitat Surveying, andFirst Aid. For any biological
science graduates likemysel, or people looking
to learn more aboutthe environment, I cant
recommend them enough.You not only learn romexperienced instructors
but you also have thechance to make
good contactsand meet
like-mindedpeople.
Scheduled BTCV
courses are run in
Aberdeen, Ayr,
Jupiter wildlie Centre
(Grangemouth),
Stirling, and Oatridge
College (w st
Lothian). Courses
can also be tailored
to the needs o a
particular community
group and so be held
closer to home.
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7/8Space to Gro 7
8 .btcv.org/training.btcv.org/naturaltalent.projectscotland.co.uk
.btcv.org/vo
Employment TrainingFor many people involvement ith BTCV
Scotland is a stepping stone to better job
and educational prospects. Depending on
individual circumstances this can range
rom simply getting into the ork routine
through to the acquisition o specialist
skills. And or some, participation in
conservation projects helps improve their
numeracy and literacy skills. with these
points in mind BTCV Scotland runs several
training schemes:
NATuRAL TALeNT
This is a ull time paid apprenticeship
scheme or people to specialise in a
particular aspect o ecology or habitat
management. And, its not just Scotlands
high prole and glamourous species and
special places hich are orthy o study.
Equally important are the ordinary plants,
insects and animals, and their habitats,
hich make up so much o our biodiversity.Natural Talent allos people o all ages
to turn their conservation passions into
proessions.
Marn Flagmir specialised in the
small but ascinating orld o bryophytes
(mosses, liverorts and hornorts):
The Natural Talent scheme has been the
ideal ay or me to keep learning and
to turn my interest in bryophytes into a
career. Having previously studied ecology
and orestry, the apprenticeship has been
an ideal continuation o my interest in the
natural orld and bryophytes in particular.
Being taught specialist identication skills
by the experts has been really antastic
and rearding. Immediately ater myapprenticeship I as employed as a
seasonal ecologist ith Scottish Natural
Heritage beore commencing a PhD on
Scottish Liverort Heath at Aberdeen
University ith urther opportunities or
bryophyte contract ork.
PRojecTScoTLANd
ProjectScotland is the national charity hich
helps young people realise their potential
through volunteering. ProjectScotlandsvolunteering projects change the lives and
aspirations o young people hose youth
and energy give an enormous boost to the
capacity o the voluntary sector and the
communities in hich they volunteer. The
demand rom young people is huge. Since
its launch ProjectScotland has exceeded its
targets placing over 2,500 young people
into structured and rearding volunteering
placements ith over 300 non-prot
organisations across the country. Volunteers
receive 55 per eek plus travel expensesand mentoring support throughout
their placement. BTCV Scotland is one
o ProjectScotlands largest partners and
oers three month placements, mainly
ithin the organisation itsel but also ith
other partner bodies such as Volunteer
Cairngorms.
jams MGarry, rom Ayr, as a
ProjectScotland volunteer in nearby
Auchinleck:
Beore volunteering ith BTCV I as on
the Ne Deal looking or jobs, but ithout
success. I heard about BTCV through a
community centre in Ayr and thought it
ould be a good idea because I enjoy
orking outdoors. During my placement Idid various things like cleaning up gardens,
orked on a Miners Memorial Garden and
I helped plant-up the grounds o a local
nursing home. Through the placement I
managed to get skills and qualications
I ould never have dreamed o getting
beore.
Ater his placement James secured a
ull-time job orking on energy pylons.
VoLuNTeeR oFFIceRS
Its a key policy o BTCV to involve
volunteers in helping to run the
organisation. Volunteer Ocers (VOs)
are people ho give a regular amount
o their time to BTCV and In return they
gain valuable experience in planning and
organising BTCVs conservation projects.
Volunteer Ocers have a great track record
o using this experience to progress into ull
time jobs, including ithin BTCV itsel.
Mrl cartwright benetted rom her
time as a Volunteer Ocer in Glasgo:
Taking on the role o a BTCV Volunteer
Ocer led to a ide and varied learning
experience. No to days are ever really the
same and you acquire valuable experience
in leading and organising groups, ith
plenty o practical skills gained too. The
extensive training programme oered by
BTCV goes hand in hand ith the project
ork undertaken, and is a more ormal ay
o tracking your progress. You eel a great
sense o ullment on the completion o
projects. Theres no doubt that being a VO
ith BTCV is a great ay to springboard a
career in the environmental sector.
Mrl cartwrightjams MGarryMarn Flagmir
PETERBAxTER
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8/8/2019 Creating Space to Grow - BTCV Scotland
8/88 BTCV Scotland
CSTG07.0
8GB/RB/SEV
BTCV Scotlands community and environmental volunteering activities are supported by:Thanks to the many individuals and organisationsho support, or participate in, BTCV Scotlandslocal initiatives.
2008 BTCV, Sedum House, Mallard way, Doncaster DN4 8DB.Registered charity in Scotland SC039320 and England 26009. Green Gym is a Registered Trade Mark o BTCV.
tel0302 388883 fax0302 353 e-mail [email protected]
Editor: Graham Burns. Photos: Graham Burns plus Clare Tasker andKatie Steart (p2), Forestry Commission Scotland (p3), Giles Lamb(p5), Peter Baxter (p7).
A VMDP training event. If youre managing
environmental volunteers, its good to talk!
Managing volunteers
Many organisations, including BTCV,
depend greatly on the eort and
enthusiasm o volunteers. But do the
organisations and their volunteers get
the best out o each other? Over thenext three years BTCV Scotland is hosting
the Volunteer Manager Development
Project (VMDP) hich is managed by Julia
Duncan. Julias post is specically unded
by The Scottish Government through the
Forum or Environmental Volunteering
Activity (FEVA) to develop a series o
netorking and training programmes
that support volunteer managers rom
a range o environmental organisations
across Scotland. Just a e months ater
its commencement over 20 volunteer
managers had already signed up to VMDP
including representatives rom the Green
Team, National Trust or Scotland, North
Glasgo Community Food Initiative, the
Boosting biodiversity
Through its varied
operations BTCV
and the manymembers o the
Community Local
Action Netork
(page 3) are helping
enhance Scotlands
biodiversity the
variety o lie. This
is most directly achieved by volunteers
improving or creating green spaces and
Broaden yourhorizons
BTCV provides a antastic range o
volunteering opportunities ithin Scotland,
but it doesnt stop there. Hundreds o
conservation projects, orking holidays and
Redhall walled Garden and the water o
Leith Trust.
To nd out more about the Volunteer
Manager Development Project and
associated training and netorkingopportunities, visit:
8www.feva-scotland.org
ildlie habitats. Such conservation projects
oten involve the use o ildlie riendly
native plant species, many o hich are
gron in BTCVs on ildfoer nursery
at the Jupiter wildlie Centre, run iththe Scottish wildlie Trust. And, hether
through practical experience on the job
or specic training events (page 6), people
o all backgrounds are learning biodiversity
skills and knoledge ith BTCV hich they
can use in their on lives and environments
to improve prospects or Scotlands ildlie.
8www.biodiversityscotland.gov.uk
training events are held throughout the rest
o the UK. And, e have links ith similar
environmental organisations across the
globe. So, hether locally or internationally,
you can help change the orld and
yoursel ith BTCV.
8www.btcv.org
Contact usBTCV SCOTLAND HEAD OFFICEBalallan House,24 Allan Park, Stirling FK8 2QGtel0786 479697 fax0786 [email protected]
ABERDEENtel0224 [email protected]@btcv.org.uk
AUCHINLECK (AYRSHIRE)tel0797 [email protected]
AYRtel0292 52578 / 52500 / [email protected]
COATBRIDGE (NORTH LANARKSHIRE)tel + fax0236 [email protected] [email protected]
CROSSHILL (FIFE GREEN GYM)tel+ fax0592 [email protected]
EDINBURGHtel03 332 [email protected]
GLASGOw (MILNGAVIE)tel04 956 [email protected]
GLASGOw (TORYGLEN)tel 04 63 2763e-mail [email protected]
GRANGEMOUTH (JUPITER GREEN GYM)tel0324 [email protected]
INVERNESS (MUNLOCHY)tel0463 8560 / 07764 [email protected] [email protected]
JOHNSTONE(RENFREwSHIRE GREEN GYM)tel 04 842 330e-mail [email protected]
OATRIDGE (wEST LOTHIAN)tel0506 [email protected]
COMMUNITY LOCAL ACTION NETwORKtel 0141 956 6816
e-mail [email protected]