Creating Space to Grow - BTCV Scotland

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


2/8


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


4/8


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


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.


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


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]

Documents

Creating Space to Grow - BTCV Scotland