Perth & Kinross Council Community Greenspace Scottish Government Volunteers Volunteering Opportunities 2015-2016 Working together to maintain, improve and promote our community green spaces for all to enjoy.
Page 2 Volunteering Opportunities PKC Conservation Volunteers In Perth & Kinross we re fortunate to have some outstanding greenspaces which residents and visitors enjoy. Volunteering is a fantastic way to get active outdoors and enjoy these places, meet new people, make new friends, learn new skills, get fitter, gain work experience and get satisfaction from carrying out tasks that communities, visitors and the environment will benefit from. We have a diverse range of volunteering opportunities from weeding flower beds in premier parks to essential woodland on some of our SSSI (sites of special scientific interest) woodland sites. Between April 2014 and April 2015 Community Greenspace led 90 volunteering tasks involving 633 volunteers Our volunteers include school aged children taking part in John Muir or Duke of Edinburgh Awards, corporate volunteer groups wanting to do something for the community, people with a passion for improving the environment and biodiversity, people looking to gain some work experience and lots more.
Page 3 Volunteering Opportunities Path improvements in partnership with Crieff Community Trust If you are an individual looking to volunteer please have a look at our scheduled tasks and see if there is anything you d like to get involved in. If you are involved in a group / organisation who are looking for a volunteering task please have a look at the list of tasks and see if there is anything you d like to get involved in. Each task will be led by an experienced member of Community Greenspace who is first aid trained. We will risk assess each task, provide tools, equipment and necessary training. All we ask is that participants dress appropriately for the weather conditions and wear stout outdoor footwear. If there is an opportunity that you d like to get involved in please get in touch. Email communitygreenspace@pkc.gov.uk Phone 01738 475000
Page 4 Group Volunteering Opportunities Time of year to carry out task Location Community group or organisation being supported Task Description of task March- April Greenloaning Ardoch Bloom Group Creating a wildflower meadow Preparing soil and sowing wildflower seeds to create wildflower area and increase biodiversity April Perth Perth High Litter picking Helping the pupils at Perth High clean-up their surrounding greenspaces April - September Armoury Park Pitlochry Pitlochry in Bloom General Essential tasks e.g. weeding, pruning, litter picking May - September Michael Bruce Way Portmoak Community Council Laying gravel Portmoak Community Council were donated some gravel to maintain parts of the Michael Bruce way, they need some help laying the gravel May - September MacRosty Park Friends of MacRosty Park Painting railings Helping to maintain MacRosty Park to a high standard by repainting some railings June - August Perth Lade Lade Action Group Access improvements Removal of bramble and branches which are encroaching onto footpath Mid June -July Kingoodie PKC Himalayan Balsam pulling Removing invasive non native species to prevent them suppressing growth of native wildlife friendly species July - August Blairgowrie core paths PKC Hedgerow Weeding recently planted wildlife hedgerow 8th 15th August MacRosty Park Friends of MacRosty Park Weeding Helping the Friends of MacRosty Park clean up the park to have it looking its best for the Highland Fling event August - March Perth Lade Lade Action Group Litter picking Removing litter from within Perth Lade and on the banking August March PKC Pruning Cut back encroaching vegetation to keep path clear August - March PKC Cut back shrubs Cut invasive broom and gorse to improve biodiversity August March Kinnoull Hill PKC Removal of tree cages Removal of tree cages that are no longer required to improve the visual appearance of the site August March Kinnoull Hill PKC Woodland Removal of invasive beech and sycamore seedlings and saplings to improve biodiversity August March Kinnoull Hill PKC Access improvements Cut back encroaching blackthorn on paths leading to view point September PKC Biodiversity meadow Removal of grass cuttings to increase diversity of wildflowers September MacRosty Park PKC Biodiversity meadow Removal of grass cuttings to increase diversity of wildflowers September The Knock of Crieff PKC Bracken bashing Conserving the lowland heathland habitat by controlling bracken encroachment
Page 5 Group Volunteering Opportunities Time of year to carry out task Location Community group or organisation being supported Task Description of task September March Luncarty Woods PKC Rhody Bashing Removing an area of invasive rhododendron making the area suitable for wildlife friendly species to grow September - March Kingoodie PKC Woodland Management Removal of invasive sycamore making the area more suitable for wildlife friendly species to grow September - March South Perth Greenspaces Group Encouraging natural regeneration Removing invasive species and transplanting native trees to suitable locations September - March PKC Small tree removal Fell or thin small trees and shrubs to create or maintain views September - March PKC Woodland Removal of invasive beech sycamore seedling and saplings September - March Kingoodie PKC Pond Removing debris from a pond helping to make it more suitable for wildlife September - March Inveralmond Woods PKC Woodland Cutback understory below larch stand September - October Lady Mary s Walk PKC Footpath Removing debris from drainage ditches beside footpath September - December Den of Alyth PKC Path Improving drainage on paths September - December Den of Alyth PKC Woodland Removing beech seedlings and hazel coppicing October - February MacRosty Park Friends of MacRosty Park Waterway Removing debris that has fallen into the lade October - March Larghan Park PKC Planting beech hedge Planting a beech hedge at the east side of Larghan Park October - March Kinnoull Hill Arboretum Committee Planting shrubs Part of landscaping improvements October-May Bennybeg Crieff Crieff Development Trust Widening footpath Widening footpath to ensure route continues to remain suitable for wheelchair use October - November Michael Bruce Way Portmoak Community Council November -January Perth Lade Lade Action Group/ Tulloch Net Maintenance of drains Pruning orchard trees Carrying out essential by removing debris from drainage channels ensuring they continue to work properly and keep water off the path Prune trees to maintain health and keep them low so that they can be harvested easily.
Page 6 Group Volunteering Opportunities Time of year to carry out task Location Community group or organisation being supported Task Description of task November - February Abernethy Glen PKC Planting fruit trees Planting fruit trees along eastern bank November - February Invergowrie PKC Planting orchard trees Planting orchard trees Anytime Loon Braes Loon Braes Partnership Vegetation Weeding, cutting back vegetation Anytime Muthill Circular Walk Muthill Development Trust Footpath Installing culvert pipe and repairing stile November Blairgowrie PKC & TayARG Pond Clearing pond to improve habitat for wildlife Anytime Birks of Aberfeldy PKC Footpath Clearing out the drainage ditches Anytime Killiecrankie Path/ Garry Tummel walk on SSE land Pitlochry Paths Group Access improvements Cutting back encroaching vegetation Anytime Kingoodie PKC Fence removal Removal of derelict fencing to improve visual appearance of site Anytime Moncreiffe Island Perth Beautiful Perth Litter clearance Remove river borne and locally dropped litter Anytime Abernethy Glen PKC Creating habitat piles Clearing fallen willows and using timber to create habitat piles Anytime Michael Bruce Way Portmoak Community Council Fitting culvert piping Improving drainage by installing a culvert pipe to keep water off the path surface Anytime Kinnoull Hill PKC Improvement of condition of Site of Special Scientific Interest Small tree clearance, scarification of ground to allow heathers to re-seed Anytime Letham Community Allotments Letham Climate Challenge Group Establishing community plots Work with school groups or preparing community plots for groups Any time PKC Access improvements Re-profiling, digging drainage channels and reinforcing with stones sections of paths in Hilton Wood
Page 7 PKC Conservation Volunteers Scheduled Tasks Perth and Kinross Conservation Volunteers (PKCV) work with Greenspace Rangers Service carrying out a wide range of practical conservation tasks. Volunteers can benefit by learning new skills, improving their own understanding of the of the greenspaces and keeping fit. Most importantly PKCV offers a chance to meet like minded people, share experiences and have fun. The main aim is to improve greenspaces and access to it. This may be through direct conservation works, such as Tree planting Fencing Path repair Invasive species control Pond clearance Meadow. Friday 20 th March Saturday 18 th April Wednesday 6 th May & Saturday 9 th May Wednesday 3 rd June Saturday 4 th July Wednesday 21 st October Saturday 10 th October At Birks of Aberfeldy removing vegetation growing in tree cages to encourage tree growth To celebrate National Gardening Week get involved in carrying out a variety of gardening tasks at MacRosty Park Crieff As part of Get Walking Week we ll be running 2 footpath tasks to keep paths in good condition and keep people walking, 6 th of May at Alyth Den and at the Birks of Aberfeldy on the 9 th Volunteer during Volunteer Week and lend a hand with removing encroaching vegetation from path verge at Perth Removing invasive non-native Himalayan Balsam to ensure it doesn t outcompete wildlife friendly species at Lady Mary s Walk in Crieff Come along to the North Inch in Perth and help us plant some fruit trees Make a difference during Make a Difference Month and join our volunteer task day at the Knock of Crieff where we ll be improving the aesthetics of the site by removing and old fence which is no longer required Wednesday 28 th October Wednesday 4 th of November Make a difference during Make a Difference Month and join our volunteer task day cutting back areas of gorse at Kinnoull Hill We re running a task in partnership with TayARG (Amphibian Reptile Group) in Murthly where we ll be pond clearing to improve the quality of the pond for wildlife Booking is essential so we know how many tools to bring to each activity. To book or for more information please call 01738 475000 or email communitygreenspace@pkc.gov.uk
Perth & Kinross Council The Environment Service Community Greenspace Pullar House 35 Kinnoull Street Perth PH1 5GD 01738 475000 communitygreenspace@pkc.gov.uk