We have been exceptionally busy over the Summer months, with projects in Fife, at our reserve in Glen Dochart and in mainland Europe in Hungary.  Have a read of what we have been up to on the other webpages and on our other website www.projectwoodland.org 

This was our busiest summer yet, and the large numbers of young volunteers and staff should be congratulated for such the amazing achievements.

We continue to invest heavily in professional development courses for adult staff, and young volunteers.  Over the summer a number of staff gained new qualifications to allow the Group to provide more discover, explore and educational opportunities.

As we enter Autumn the Group kicks off three new projects that will provide exciting challenges to all the professional volunteer staff, and our amazing and dedicated young volunteers.   

We have been very busy this last two weekends 31st May & 8th June constructing a drystone wall ;=)

Have a read and see what the volunteers have been up to over the last 6 months. Further down the page you will also see news items from the last 2 years and lots of other pictures.  If you would like to drop us an email about the work we are doing please visit the home page for the email address. Thanks!

HAVE A LOOK AT OUT LATEST NEWSLETTER JUST PUBLISHED - NOVEMBER 2008

SEE THE PAGE SUMMER/WINTER 08

JANUARY 2008
On a nice cold crisp Sunday in January over 30 group volunteers took part in the first of a two day project on Falkland Estate to clear out and expose the cascades on the Mill Burn which had become silted up over many years. The project was part of the Falkland Stewards Pond Project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Volunteers spent the day clearing away large amounts of vegetation that had become extremely overgrown and this allowed the water to run more freely through the cascades. The second date for this project was to take place in February. Late January saw a journey up to The Colin Burt Reserve for Wildlife Conservation in Glen Dochart to carry out various practical conservation tasks. The weather was fantastic with blue skies and sun much of the day. Ongoing work was carried out on the timber bird hide and the woodland boardwalk. Strainers were erected for the deer fence, bridge repairs were carried out and 100 metres of hedging was planted in addition to the ongoing task of tree maintenance throughout the reserve. As always the visit was extremely enjoyable and lots of fun for all the volunteers involved.

FEBRUARY 2008
The second date for the Mill Burn project on Falkland Estate was held on the first Saturday of the month. A large group of volunteers met on the Estate to continue with the task of clearing the cascades on the Mill Burn. Volunteers worked extremely hard on a very cold winter day which saw a light flurry of snow falling. The Avant tractor belonging to Falkland Stewards was put to work to tow numerous trailer loads of densely rooted vegetation to a site further away from the burn. Group volunteers worked very hard throughout the day to dig the vegetation out from the edges of the burn and used wheelbarrows to transport the vegetation to another area to dry out. Removing the vegetation involved wading in the burn with wellingtons to reach some of the thick-rooted sections! A large area adjacent to the burn was strimmed and cleared. The outcome of the 2 day Mill Burn project resulted in a very clear and exposed burn with a faster flow of water travelling down through the beautiful cascades and into the pond. The following weekend five young volunteers and two staff took part in a pilot educational woodcraft weekend funded by FACCG and lead by Dave McKeen from Hollytree Woodcrafts. The volunteers spent a Saturday and Sunday working with Dave in his workshop and learning about the safe use of various different machines and tools for crafting wood. They were shown how to make footstools from timber such as Yew, Oak and Beech by using traditional woodcraft techniques and skills. The weekend was a huge success and resulted in a grant application being submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund to run an 18 month project called Treecycle that will focus on the lifecycle of a tree and will involve woodland management, crafting timber into various items and processing timber to make an ‘A’ frame building for the Estate. Late February saw approximately 30 group volunteers carry out woodland management at Flisk Wood near Balmerino, Fife with Simon Lockwood from Scottish Native Woods. Simon gave the volunteers a very educational talk about the woodlands and explained the need to thin out the Ash. Volunteers worked very hard during this project and made a considerable impact to the woodland. Throughout the weekend a large volume of litter was collected and put into black bags. On the Saturday evening the group volunteers had a sleepover in the Town Hall at The Gauldry. The whole weekend was extremely successful and the young volunteers increased their knowledge of woodland management and its importance for wildlife and biodiversity.

MARCH 2008
Five group volunteers attended the annual Sharing Group Practice training event in Aviemore which was organised by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Countryside Rangers Association. The theme of the event this year was Rocks and Fossils. Volunteers took part in various workshops throughout the day which focused on subjects such as Geology, Fossil Fuels, Stone Carving, education packs for teachers and practical educational activities to engage young people in learning about geology. The training event was very educational and group volunteers were inspired with new ideas and knowledge that could be passed on to other members of the group through activities and workshops. The first practical conservation day of the month was a project for the National Trust for Scotland at Kellie Castle, Pittenweem in Fife. The group of volunteers were given a talk on the woodland and its ecology and explained why wild flowers were to be planted in the extensive area of grassland. Different teams of volunteers carried out tasks such as woodland management by removing the natural plant regeneration, planting wild flower plugs, tidying the composting area, planting, staking and tubing young trees and burning brash. The weather was very mixed with periods of heavy downpours followed by bright interludes, but the volunteers were not deterred by the rain and worked very hard throughout the whole day. This project allowed volunteers to increase their knowledge and skills relating to woodland and wildflower habitats. Over two evenings volunteers moved 40 tonnes of road shavings and aggregate delivered to Chancefield to help improve the drainage and the hard standing areas for better access and timber storage during project Treecycle. The Scottish Deer Centre in Cupar was the venue of a weekend residential project in the middle of the month. Alistair McLeod who is employed at the Deer Centre and is also a long-standing FACCG volunteer organised the whole weekend for the volunteers. The theme of the weekend was Hunter/Gatherers and volunteers took part in various evening educational activities focusing on this theme. During both days a large amount of practical conservation work was undertaken. Volunteers worked very hard to dig out a mud wallow for the deer. The pond was completely cleared out as it was extremely over-grown with vegetation. An area of ground was fenced off so that trees could be planted in the deer enclosure. Volunteers also took part in an educational tractor tour to see the deer, were given a talk about the wolves and observed a superb falconry display about the conservation of birds of prey. The whole weekend was very educational and worthwhile and as well as completing a large volume of practical work group volunteers also enhanced their knowledge about the lives of the ancient Hunter/Gatherers and also about the important conservation of various different species of wildlife. Two minibuses and a landrover with a trailer took a long journey to the Lake District at the end of March for the Group’s bi-annual residential expedition “Cumbrian Challenge 1” to work with the National Trust based at the High Wray Base Camp near Ambleside. Volunteers carried out various conservation projects such as clearing and burning rhododendron at Harrowslack on the shores of Lake Windermere and laying slate edging in the Victorian Garden at Monk Coniston as part of an ongoing restoration project being carried out by the National Trust. This project involved considerable expertise and skill to lay the large slabs of slate evenly and straight. Volunteers learned many new skills from this project and will hopefully return to the garden on a future residential. As well as numerous evening workshops and craft activities the young volunteers also took part in hill walking to discover and explore the surrounding area, mountain biking, and educational visits to Sellafield Nuclear Power Station and Muncaster Castle. As always the expedition was superb and for a large number of the young volunteers it was their first trip to the Lakes! Needless to say they are all enthusiastic and motivated to take part in future expeditions.

APRIL 2008
The beginning of April saw a gathering of volunteers for a project at Dalgety Community Woodland. The day began with an educational walk/talk about woodland ecology and management, and many volunteers were interested to learn about the varied soil types in different areas of the woodland. The woodland had been heavily felled by contractors and a large amount of the timber was causing obstruction to access for the local people. Group volunteers spent the rest of the day tidying up areas within the woodland by making timber stacks of various lengths and constructing brash piles around the trees. Although there was a considerable amount of work still to be carried out, the volunteers made a huge impact to the future ecology of the woodland as well as improving access for the local community. The Sunday following the Group’s return from the Lake District was the date for a very interesting talk and workshop given by John Marshall of WCF Phoenix about the history of the potato and its consumption, progressing through to the present day. After listening to the excellent and very informative presentation, group volunteers took part in various workshops and competitions and then enjoyed a delicious potato meal cooked by Ena Band. The volunteers then headed to the Secret Garden in Falkland and spent the afternoon planting various varieties of seed potatoes that John Marshall donated to the group for its potato project to celebrate the 2008 International Year of the Potato. Once again group volunteers travelled up to the beautiful and picturesque area of Glen Dochart to visit their wildlife reserve and carry out more conservation tasks on the site. The first visit for Spring! A large amount of work was achieved that day and the numerous tasks were undertaken such as: more work on the bird hide, the boardwalk was extended by a further 2 sections, woodland work to tidy up an area felled by British Telecom for the installation of a new phone line, turf was laid around the newly created wildlife pond and Scots Pine were planted in the areas where the turf was removed. The weather was changeable at first with blue skies and sun and then heavy showers but throughout the day the blue skies prevailed and made the surrounding landscape look spectacular. The journey to the reserve resulted in a wonderful day in the outdoors and a lot of work being achieved.

MAY 2008
During May the Group’s ‘Grow Your Own’ project resumed with volunteers meeting every few Wednesdays at the Secret Garden in Sugar Acre, Falkland. Group volunteers worked through a programme of planting vegetables which included additional varieties of potatoes, vegetables such as lettuces, spring onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and much more. The young volunteers learned about methods of organic gardening and the difference in growth rates when planting produce in outdoor beds compared to planting in the polytunnel. Fencing was erected around the FACCG garden area. Volunteers also carried out numerous tasks such as grass cutting, hedge trimming and weeding to help Falkland in Bloom keep the main garden area neat and tidy. This project will be ongoing throughout the summer months. A new project for the group was organised for the last weekend in May. Clackmannanshire Biodiversity Officer, Woodland Officer and the Ranger Service invited FACCG volunteers to carry out woodland management within Alva Woodland Park in Clackmannanshire. The idea for the event was to help promote youth volunteering for Scottish Biodiversity Week and on the second day of the project members from the local community were encouraged to join in. All group costs for this project were funded by the Clackmannanshire Council and the Group also received a donation to group funds. The main task of the weekend was to remove the very invasive rhododendron bushes from a large area of hillside within the woodland. Volunteers worked hard cutting, sawing and burning the large limbs of the bush. At the end of the weekend everyone was amazed at how much work had been achieved by FACCG volunteers. The hillside was completely cleared of rhododendron which will allow more species of flowers and plants to grow and therefore increase the biodiversity of the woodland. Both days were dry with sunshine and overall the project was extremely successful and enjoyable for all volunteers. Clackmannanshire Council has invited the group back to Alva later in the year to carry out more conservation work. Bill Sweenie (volunteer group staff member) made a very kind donation to the group after winning a competition run by his employers Exxon Mobil. Over the last two years FACCG has carried out various conservation projects for Exxon Mobil at their Mossmorran plant near Burntisland. Bill presented his winnings of £200 to Mark Pearson, Group Chairman, to be used for the benefit of all the volunteers. Mark thanked Bill for his very kind gesture and assured the donation was very much appreciated by everyone.

JUNE 2008
Throughout this month small groups of volunteers visited two sites of Carillion Construction located in Edinburgh to collect various items of waste materials that were originally destined for landfill. The materials are then re-used in various future conservation projects carried out by the group throughout Fife and at their own reserve in Glendochart. The partnership between FACCG and Carillion Construction dates back to early 2007 when Mark Pearson (Group Chairman) made a chance visit to the Carillion site in Markinch asking if they had any unwanted railways sleepers. Since then FACCG has diverted approximately 90 tonnes of waste material from landfill by working in partnership with Carillion thereby reducing the environmental impact landfill waste proposes and proving how positive the partnership is. The ‘Grow Your Own’ project at Sugaracre has been continuing every Wednesday evening and has been extremely successful with 20 or more volunteers turning out each time. The Wednesday evening project takes place at Sugaracre and then Chancefield every alternate Wednesday. The gardening evenings at Sugaracre have resulted in a lot of tasks being completed in addition to the usual tasks such as grass cutting, weeding, etc. Recently the willow teepee was trimmed and tidied, a new gate was erected for the Groups garden area, the composting area was re-located and tidied and more herbs and wildflower seeds were planted. During the evening projects at Chancefield on Falkland Estate a lot of tidying and improvement of the site has been carried out. Fencing and a gate was erected at the entrance to Chancefield and an interpretation hut was sited outside the gate so that information will be available to passers by about the users of Chancefield and the projects taking place there. During June FACCG held the official Launch of its new ‘Treecycle Project’ which is funded by the Heritage Lottery ‘Young Roots’ Programme and is a partnership project between FACCG and the Falkland Heritage Trust. The project is youth lead and is open to anyone who wishes to become involved. The focus of the project is the lifecycle of trees which will involve growing trees from seed, planting, woodland management, crafting items from timber, processing timber to make a traditional ‘A’ frame building and much more. The launch was very successful with many young and adult volunteers attending as well as representatives from various other environmental groups and organisations. Various tasks were carried out around Chancefield and everyone posed for a photo shoot to promote the project. Once again a small group of volunteers took a trip to The Colin Burt Reserve for Wildlife Conservation in Glen Dochart to carry out more work and tasks on the site. A large amount of tree maintenance was carried out and this is an ongoing task for future visits. A trailer full of materials was off-loaded and stored on the site and some spare fencing and a gate was taken from the site for projects back in Fife. The visit was a productive but also fairly relaxing one with some guided walks taking place around the reserve for a few volunteers who were visiting for their first time. On the training front staff and young volunteers have taken course in First Aid at work so we now have another six fully qualified for when we are out on projects. A staff member has also now qualified as a Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS) trainer and assessor that will allow us to train and assess our own drivers. This will save the Group around £800 initially doing this course/qualification within the Group. To drive our minibus all drivers must have the MiDAS certificate and for most council provided minibuses it is required. If any volunteer staff from other organisations require the certificate they can contact the Group to enquire when the next course will be run. In mid June we also opened our compost toilet on Falkland Estate that has been constructed for all volunteers working on the estate to use instead of heaving to head back to the main estate office, or at weekends the toilets in the centre of the village. See the pictures we have uploaded on the website. Always keen to spread the message about environmental volunteering and how the youngsters work together to achieve so much staff and a small number of young volunteers have been out and about giving presentations to community groups, WRI’s, Rotary Clubs and other youth groups.

John Band trying out his shave horse he has made for use on our Project TreeCycle weekends.

To see what we were up to during the six months on our wildlife reserve please visit 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.

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.

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