In our goal to become a carbon neutral organisation, the Heritage Trust Network is delighted to distribute funding to three green initiatives established by our members.
Using funding from our ‘Unlocking the Power of Communities’ project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Network is focussed on offsetting the carbon produced by our various events and activities. In particular, we have £500 assigned to focus on the carbon produced by our 2020 conference. Despite the event being digital instead of in person (with the impact of travel, accommodation, food), we are aware that all the digital devices, internet and power usage is still a major contributing factor to carbon emissions.
Having put out a call for submissions to all Network members, we are delighted to announce the three planting and growing schemes at our member sites and projects, that will receive a portion of this funding.
Kinloch Castle Walled Garden Project
The volunteers at the Kinloch Castle Friends Association are chomping at the bit to return to the Isle of Rum this summer and make a start on a project to revive the walled garden. As the only space on the island that is protected from hungry wildlife, the walled garden is the most viable spot for the island community to grow their own produce. The fascinating history of the site includes the striking story of the original owner George Bullough, who transported 40,000 tonnes of prime topsoil onto the remote island in order to have the best growing environment for his gardens. Since then, the space has become overgrown, and at present, one islander who has made a start on growing produce, needs a helping hand to keep the encroaching saplings from taking over. With this pilot scheme in hand, the Friends Association hope to demonstrate to the current owners, Nature Scot, that they can provide a bright future for the Walled Garden and indeed bring the whole site back to life. Heritage Trust Network funds will support this project with the purchase of gardening tools, safety equipment and plants to allow the volunteers to undertake this task. Find out more and get involved here.
Middleton Hall Trust
The team at Middleton Hall Trust have embarked on a fantastic new wildlife scheme in the form of a 110m long conservation hedgerow, to replace a failing fence alongside their meadow and drive.
As the Trust have said, “Native hedgerows are really important for a range of wildlife, including small mammals, birds, bees and other insects. Not only do native hedges give wildlife a safe habitat and food all year round, they also act as safe corridors for movement.”
The hedgerow project is part of a much wider scheme to plant native trees and create a wildflower meadow in this historic landscape. The funds from the Network will go towards the purchase of a variety of hedgerow species including: Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Dog Rose, Hazel, Spindle, Field Rose, Wayfaring Tree, and Cherry plum. The Trust are looking for further sponsors for this new wildlife corridor, so if you have £5 or more to spare, please do take a look at their website.
Warley Woods Community Trust
Warley Woods Community Trust, connected to the Network through our members at the Midlands Parks Forum, have been managing Warley Woods for the last 14 years. As well as managing an aging tree stock (many planted in the 1790s) the Trust is eager to renew its trees so that there will still be a woodland for future generations. It does this in two ways, by planting out hundreds of small whips and also by adding in substantial trees to play a significant role in the landscape – particularly where a small tree is very likely to be vandalised before it has grown enough to withstand easy breakage. Our planting is for human enjoyment, landscape improvement, wildlife benefits and we are proud that our trees play an important role in carbon capture in such an urban area. The Trust is currently establishing its own tree nursery, but in the meantime, we have to buy in our pot grown trees. Each of the seven beech trees planted in March 2021 has been adopted in memory of someone and the families have paid a contribution towards the cost, but due to the significant cost of each tree, the Trust have sought additional funding to make the planting possible. The trees were planted on 2nd March 2021 by staff and volunteers with two members of each family able to attend if they wished to. Heritage Trust Network is pleased to be able to support this long term planting initiative, to get involved visit their website.
Kinloch Castle, Isle of Rum
