Why were bees and flowers cycling around Glasgow?

Hi, my name is Claire Bennett and I work for an organisation called Grow Wild, who have been working with RSPB Scotland to provide support and funding for the Giving Nature a Home in Glasgow Project.

https://www.growwilduk.com/community-projects/rspb-glasgow-living-nature-project

And this week I also get to be a guest blogger!

I had the pleasure of joining the RSPB Wildlife Garden Festival on their flower bike parade gala launch of the Glasgow Wildlife Garden Festival. They have a full programme of activities through September showcasing green activities across the city, for which I met 6 projects in a 7hr cycle ride covering 11 miles. Phew!

Hopping on my People Make Glasgow bike, I caught up with the striking flower head dress and bee cyclists as the gala cycle commenced at Hillhead High School, the host of the RSPB Grow Wild bumblebee car planter, complete with beautiful stencilling that the young people worked on and that appeared around the city as a nature trail.

Following the opening of the gala by some enthusiastic students who were sad not be able to join us on our adventure, we continued to the Botanic Gardens Glasgow, stopping off at North Kelvin Meadow’s Children’s Wood.

Children’s Wood patron, Tam Dean Burn read a fitting piece by local author Julia Donaldson at the Grow Wild Living Nature Wall within the Botanic Gardens as light entertainment on our way and to highlight the storytelling activities within the community, showing children’s stories are for us older ones too!

A highlight for me was The Rags to Riches stalled space studio at Govanhill Baths, a real treat! It’s a valued space within the local community exuding creativity, with their bottle top mosaic and unusual bird box installation. Lots of potential space for Growing Wild here!

A slight detour (bit lost!) through Gorbals to the Gorbals Healthy Living Initiative’s very wild patch in Richmond Park, with a very friendly welcome from the local young people helping on the site and a well deserved lunch.

Finishing up at Woodlands Community Garden for tea and cake (thanks Fiona!). We have a wee short film, courtesy of our partners in the Media Trust Do #Something Brilliant initiative. Watch this space... www.growwilduk.com. Check out another brilliant moment from our Grow Wild flagship site at Barrhead, Water Works, captured again by the brilliant Peter Murray from The Media Trust,

http://www.communitychannel.org/video/mm5BO3L5gx4/brilliant_britain_brilliant_scotland_episode_3/.

Photos, from top: flower bike, Glasgow wildlife garden festival sticker, Hillhead school bumblebee car, bee dry stone wall Botanic Gardens Glasgow, Tam Dean Burn reading a story, Govanhill Baths studio, Govanhill Baths bottletop mosaic, Gorbals Healthy Living Initiative. All credit Claire Bennett.