As part of our Giving Nature a Home in Glasgow project, RSPB Scotland is offering loads of exciting practical conservation opportunities around the city. These are hands-on sessions where you can get involved in everything from removing invasive plants, to creating new habitats, or surveying sites to uncover the wildlife that's living there.
The 3-hour sessions (one per week) are run in partnership with a variety of community organisations across seven key sites: Castlemilk Woods, Mall’s Mire Community Woodland, Kelvingrove Park, Dawsholm Park LNR, North Kelvin Meadow, Springburn Gardens and Milton Community Garden.
So why should you consider taking part?
1) Community greenspaces and city parks, along with our residential gardens, are increasingly important oases for nature. Popping a pond in your back garden, or helping to plant a wildflower meadow in your local park can have a real impact on the local ecosystem.
2) Interaction with nature and local greenspaces can also have a positive impact on your health and well-being. We're offering a weekly dose of ‘Vitamin G’!
3) We like to give back to our volunteers for giving up their time. One such way is by providing training opportunities and fun workshops for them to take part in, notably our field station workshops. For full details of these upcoming events contact Sarah-Jayne.Forster@rspb.org.uk
If you want to know more about these great opportunities to get out in the fresh air and benefit nature (as well as getting a little muddy in the process!), feel free to get in touch via Paul Gunn (Community Greenspace Officer) at Paul.Gunn@rspb.org.uk
It’s great fun, positive for the environment and great for the community. So many smiling faces can't be wrong...
We're also currently running an exciting project with the University of Glasgow called ‘Dear Green Futures’. This HLF-funded project involves conservation work within the GU Wildlife Garden, as well as gathering footage, stories and testimonies of how people interact with their local greenspaces, and indeed, if they have noticed a change in perceptions throughout their lifetimes. And we're also having a fair bit of fun in the process (see below!) You can find out more about the project here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/news/405249-green-light-for-gardens-project-in-glasgow