This is the website of the
Fife Air Cadets Conservation Group
For those into statistics, in 2007 we carried out 60 different projects/events, and our volunteers achieved a staggering 9,951 hours of volunteering!
In total we have completed 36,772.5 volunteer hours since we started!(To 1st Jan 08)
The success of this Group is down to three factors: the partnership of organisations and working willingly together to achieve challenging goals, the tremendous professional commitment by volunteer staff, and finally the true personal effort and hard work by every young volunteer.
Who are we?
Although we call ourselves the Fife Air Cadets Conservation Group we are now made up of Air Cadets, Explorer Scouts, and families from across Fife and our ethos is:
Working Together for Tomorrow's Future!
Contact details:
Chairman – Mark Pearson 07887 998975
Email -mark.pearson618@tiscali.co.uk
Secretary - Steven Hepburn - 07783 137475
Wildlife Reserve Manager - Cazz Burt 07833 600365
Check out our other websites -
www.projectwoodland.org.uk
and www.polskaalliance.eu
To see what we have been up to during January and February click on the recent project page and at our other website www.projectwoodland.org.uk
JANUARY 2008
As 2008 starts can we thank everyone for such hard work and support during the last 12 months, and over the 6 years. Whether a young volunteer, member of staff, parent or supporter/sponsor, everybody has ensured that the Group has continued to rise to every challenge.
We have had a very busy year, probably too busy, but have achieved so much. Remember everything we do is not just for the benefit of the countryside and wildlife, but also for the local communities close to our project sites.
Finally, we all enjoy the hard work, fresh air and fun, or we would not do it. This in turn gives us the opportunity to learn and have adventure while increasing our health and fitness in a positive and fun way while doing good in the countryside.
Just a few additions for 2008
Millennium Volunteers Award - We are now a registered member of the organisation, Volunteer Development Scotland. In partnership we will now be able promote and offer the MV Awards programme which recognises contribution of young people aged 16-25 by way of a certificate for 50, 100 and 200 hours of volunteering. More information and how to sign up will follow shortly.
Fife Air Cadets Conservation Group Outstanding Achievement Award - As many of you have now completed the John Muir Award and some are well over the 200 hour award we will be introducing a 500 hour and 1,000 hour badge award. This will be in the form of a cloth badge braided in silver for the 500 and gold for the 1,000 hour award. This can be worn on any item of clothing except ATC/EScout uniform unless authority is granted. More details to follow shortly.
Other Awards - Please don't forget that you can use your hours towards the service section of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, if you want to work towards your skills section please discuss this with me and we can work on a programme of training and skills for you. The Explorer Scouts I know use the work with FACCG for some of their Explorer Scout Awards. If you have any special badges we can tailor some work/training to suit.
More news to follow shortly!
DECEMBER 2007
‘Conservation Blitz’ to the highest bidder…. Do you have a biodiversity project within a two hour drive of Fife in desperate need of help? Are you looking for assistance in making a difference to your local wildlife species or habitats? Is there someone in your area who could really benefit from experienced conservation volunteers? A clean up -- tree planting -- footpath or bridge construction -- pond creation -- clearing an area of rhododendrons – and more… A minibus, or two, full of enthusiastic volunteers (including staff) from Fife Air Cadets Conservation Group will make a difference to a ‘wild place’ venue of your choice. This could be a park area, a garden space or any other suitable site within a two hour drive of Fife. The Fife Air Cadets are offering their services as a fundraising event to mark the 10th birthday of the John Muir Award. The Cadets have been using the Award for seven years to help celebrate the achievements of their volunteers. The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme that encourages people to discover wild places, to actively explore them, to do something to conserve them and to share these experiences. The John Muir Award is the educational initiative of the John Muir Trust (for more information visit www.johnmuiraward.org). So just what can the Fife Air Cadets do over a weekend? On recent conservation projects the group have planted over 7,000 trees and extracted over 40 tonnes of timber as part of managing a local woodland. Two full day projects at Cardenden Woodland saw group volunteers construct two bridges and the resurfacing of extended lengths of footpath. For more information on other projects completed by the group this year visit www.fifeaircadetsconservationgroup.co.uk/ . To take advantage of the group’s enthusiasm and skills all you need to do is to email eastscotland@johnmuiraward.org or telephone Rebecca on 0845 458 2910 with a bid (reserve price of £100), by Monday 3 March 2008. You’ll not only be getting assistance with a conservation task but helping support both organisations along the way.
Project update to follow shortly
26th OCTOBER 2007 - UPDATE
The Group's new Green Bus is now on the road. Kindly funded by the Awards for All - Lottery Funding, Scottish Natural Heritage and ExxonMobil. The bus has allowed the Group to drastically increase the amount of young volunteers it can get out to each project, and also we have doubled the amount of projects so far each month since we took delivery. A brilliant asset for the Group!
The Group's new bird hide and educational classroom at its wildlife reserve in Glen Dochart
Our wildlife reserve currently provides access for everyone from the local community and further afield to enjoy an outdoor experience whilst also observing wildlife and the environment. We had no interpretative provision on the reserve, and obtaining funding for the provision of the hide/classroom, interpretation panels and leaflets has resulted in an educational and interesting experience for school groups, community youth groups and individuals who visit the reserve. The hide/classroom will allow school teachers and youth leaders to access a dry indoor area where they can carry out environmental education activities whilst also observing wildlife at the same time. This provides an alternative from the school classroom environment and helps young people to make an invaluable connection with nature and the surrounding countryside. There are also long term benefits for young people and adults as they will increase their knowledge and develop an ongoing duty of care for their environment, as well as the associated health benefits of being outdoors in the fresh air and gaining exercise whilst walking around the reserve. A huge vote of thanks must go to our funders The Scottish Community Foundation, Simon Lockwood from Scottish Native Woods, Chas Heath of Arborantics, Carillion and Scottish Natural Heritage! For more about how we built the hide over the last 12 months see our website www.projectwoodland.org.uk
Expedition "Polska Alliance" - Poland
Thirty two members of the Group visited the Tatra National Park in Poland during 10 days in July this summer. Staying in Zakopane they worked with National Park Rangers and Polish volunteers. Everyone also got the chance to discover and explore by raft and a number of high level walks. At the end of the expedition the last 3 days were spent in Krakow. Here the volunteers visited Auschwitz and the famous Wieliczka Salt Mines. Kindly sponsored by the British Council, Scarman Scholarship, Scottish Native Woods and Fife Council. An expedition report will be uploaded to our website in December.
Across Fife
We have been busy across Fife and Perthshire working on many projects in the last 6 months. Volunteers have constructed bridges in Cardenden Den and made drastic improvements to the network of footpaths. In Blue Bell Wood Dalgety Bay a day was spent forming a good footpath that will allow even wheelchair users to get deep into the heart of this beautiful woodland. Further information about other projects in Fife will be added soon.....
The Lake District National Park and The National Trust
Fifteen members of the Group visited in August and we carried out high level foot path work, camping out on the hill, to help with their "Fix the Fells" project. During our week we did lots of other jobs around the NT base camp at High Wray.
October - We have just returned from another week of hard work, and lots of good weather! This time thirty two volunteers attended a week of dry stone walling, scrub bashing and foot path work. During our stay we also discover and explored the Langdales taking part in Mountain biking, climbing and walking. The evenings were taken up with craft activities, games and chilling out by the log fire! A visit to a working farm to learn about various farming procedures and a butchery and cooking demonstration in the evening was organised under the National Trust Food and Farming programme! A huge thanks must go to Paul Kerr and Moira Herring at the NT basecamp for all their hard work.
More details about our work over the last six months can be found on the "Recent Projects" page.
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10TH MAY 2007 - UPDATE
Presentation Evening
The Group held a very successful presentation and celebration evening in the Rothes Halls last month. Over 150 young volunteers and guests attended. More to follow........
The Colin Burt for Wildlife Conservation
Over the last few months groups of volunteers have achieved a phenomenal amount of work at the reserve. The access at the reserve entrance has been enhanced, and is more welcoming for visitors. A large number of broadleaved trees have been planted in various locations, and access through the woodland has been increased by making various improvements. The green wood bird hide project is progressing well, and it is hoped that the hide will be erected in late May. We also await confirmation about the naming of a new species of fungus discovered on the reserve by Professor Roy Watling! Fifeochre designs are presently working on an interpretation leaflet for the reserve which should be available at the end of May. For further information and more detailed updates on the work that is being carried out log on to www.projectwoodland.org.uk
Grow Your Own Project - Secret Garden, Falkland
The garden is now taking shape. Three planting beds have been dug over and prepared. One of which has now been seeded with carrots and radishes. Various fruit trees and bushes have been planted adjacent to the seed beds, and the surfacing work for the access paths has been completed after a kind donation of 25mm stone chips from Carillion. The portacabin (educational classroom) walls and ceiling have been painted, and the gloss paint has been started on the windows and door.
Newport Primary School - Eco Schools Project
A large number of group volunteers teamed up with pupils, parents and teachers from the primary school, to transform the green area in the school grounds, as part of their Eco Schools Project. Some of the activities undertaken included: -· The planting of native species trees.· Creating a hedge to enclose the educational garden.· Creating a footpath using Type 1 gravel.· The construction of a plastic bottle greenhouse.· The creation of a living willow tunnel and dome.· Creating a new wetland habitat· Designing a seating area with tree trunk seating. The project was a huge success and was extremely educational and fun for all those involved. This wildlife garden will allow teachers and pupils to participate in outdoor learning, and have hands-on environmental education opportunities.This project is ongoing.
Project Green Transport
The group has recently received funding from various sponsors to purchase a 17-seater minibus to be known as ‘The Green Bus’. This will be used to allow young people, who live in rural and hard to reach areas to attend projects that they would otherwise have missed, because there were no other forms of transport provision. Another part of this project was the purchase of 10 mountain bikes to give the young volunteers an exciting and challenging way of discovering and exploring. The main sponsors for this project are Awards for All and Scottish Natural Heritage.
SCOTTISH NATIVE WOODS- Tree Planting Project
Group volunteers were committed to staking and tubing in excess of 4000 newly planted trees, near Saline, Dunfermline. Scottish Native Woods offered this project to the conservation group, in order to help contribute to group funds. This extra funding will enable more young people to attend residentials and expeditions at a reduced rate.
Balgownie Wood Project
A large amount of woodland work has been carried out by group volunteers at Balgownie Wood, near Oakley. Hundreds of trees have been snedded to clear away the lower branches, which has resulted in allowing more light to reach the woodland floor, and will encourage a greater diversity of plant and animal species to exist there. The project has also resulted in creating better access for local people.
1ST JANUARY 2007 - UPDATE
The Fife Air Cadets Conservation Group had a very successful year in 2006, through the support of all our young volunteers and staff, supporters and sponsors. The Group would not function so well without every bit of help we get, however small. In 2006 we achieved six thousand two hundred and six hours (6,206 hours) of practical hands on conservation work, and this is not even taking into account all the many hours spent fundraising, etc. Looking back over the year we not only helped make a difference to the countryside, but also achieved a great deal to educate and train Group members, through discover and explore days, and the many training courses and opportunities we were able to offer through such kind generosity of our supporters and sponsors. What I always find so amazing is the commitment from everyone, as we must never forget that everyone is a volunteer!
We have been working very hard over the Christmas holidays and have had 3 projects with over 25 people turning out on each day, a brilliant commitment. To ensure that we are ready for the New Year, our "Active Citizens" programme for 2007 can now be found on the forthcoming tasks page. Please add the dates to your new diaries and publicise our work so we can continue "Working together for tomorrow's future!"
If you have never worked with, or visited us on a practical project, feel free to come along for a chat, enjoy a cup of tea, the countryside and perhaps lend a hand to help do some good for the environment.
If you are not on our regular email update list and aim to visit, please ensure you check the website or email us, 2 days before each project, to check on any changes to our work plan, location or meeting times. You will note we have many exciting projects and events planned, from our "Grow Your Own" initiative where young volunteers will be able to continue learning about horticulture and how we can help and include nature, to the many discovery days to increase everyone's knowledge and skills, let alone all the practical work. Our plans for "Expedition Polska Alliance" are progressing well, where we will be working in the Tatra National Park with 20 young volunteers from 2 Polish schools, and they will visit us in 2008. After the huge amount of requests for the Group's help we would have been out every weekend, the programme has been planned in full consultation with our young volunteers, who always have the final say in what they would like to do. I hope that we will continue to have your help and support in 2007.
HEDGING COURSE - 6TH JAN 07
Twenty three members turned up for the hedge-laying course at Lochore Meadows, kindly run for us by Countryside Ranger Dallas Seawright of the Fife Ranger Service. The day started off with a talk in the field studies classroom from Dallas about why hedge-laying is good for birds, insects and many different types of animals. The group also learnt about the history and skill of hedge-laying. After around an hour in the classroom everyone then walked the 20minutes to the area that needed the hedge work. There were many jobs throughout the day, including clearing the brash, cutting and laying the hedge and managing the bonfire. Overall, the day was a great success; the area was thoroughly cleared and the group managed to lay an excellent length of hedge. Everyone had a great time learning new skills and helping the environment at Lochore Meadows. Have a look below at just a few pictures of the volunteers working during the day.
Above - One section of hedge just about finished!
Above - A small group starting to lay the hedge.
Below - Working on the entrance at our reserve in Glen Dochart
