Welcome to the latest edition of Green Times showcasing recent environmental news, events, projects, and volunteering opportunities in Aberdeen. This edition will look back on highlights from some of the great work going on across the city over the spring season and the last few months.
We would love to hear about your projects and events and anything you have going on. To subscribe or submit an article contact greentimes@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Clean up Aberdeen
Hundreds of volunteers turned out to spring clean Aberdeen’s green places and open spaces. The 2023 Spring Clean Scotland campaign by Keep Scotland Beautiful encouraged and supported the public to roll their sleeves up and clean up their neighbourhoods between 17th March to 17th of April.
Marine Conservation Society and East Grampian Coastal Partnership joined forces for a beach clean on the 25 March, which also celebrated Iain House’s 20th year of MCS beach cleans in Aberdeen. Over the four weeks of the campaign, 332 volunteers in the city filled 274 bags in 40 clean ups. This was a fantastic effort by so many groups, businesses, schools and individuals.
The Spring Clean events are a great addition to the Clean Up Aberdeen year. The 2023 total so far for Aberdeen is 93 clean ups, involving 483 volunteers, filling 486 bags.
Litter picking is great fun and it’s easy to get involved. Aberdeen City Council’s Environmental Services can lend you litter picking tongs, high vis vests, gloves and black bags and will uplift the collected rubbish. For more details, or to get help organising an event just email cleanaberdeen@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Compass Directions
Local medical charity, Camphill Wellbeing Trust (CWT), launched Compass in September 2020 to transform the former Waldorf School site on Craigton Road into a centre demonstrating practical solutions for healthy and sustainable lifestyles. Thanks to the support of our local community and over 5,586 hours donated by 515 volunteers, our project continues to grow.
We are delighted to confirm our polytunnel, funded by The National Lottery’s Together for our Planet Award, has been granted planning permission and is now up ready for use. This new growing space will provide an area for bringing on seeds, potting up plants and for growing produce that needs some protection from our North East climate, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
We have a wide variety of fruit and vegetables already growing outside, some almost ready for harvesting. Unfortunately, we have had a number of dog fouling incidents in our fruit and vegetable growing areas. While we welcome walkers passing through the site, we encourage them to keep dogs on leads while doing so, to help us preserve our growing areas.
Volunteers have recently taken part in #30minworms by uksoils, an initiative to promote soil science skills in the community. An earthworm survey by Compass has been submitted to the project to help determine local populations of worms across the country. The site is also taking part in Scotland Wildlife Trust’s Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel initiative.
Compass also welcomed participants of NESCAN’s Climate Week North East for an afternoon of learning about beekeeping, composting, wormeries and no-dig gardening methods this April. Despite the wet weather, we received positive feedback from a participant at event: “I enjoyed the wormery and no-dig workshops. Great event, staff were very knowledgeable and I’m excited to start the no-dig method at home.” If you’d like to learn more about our methods, come along to one of our volunteering sessions – the best way to learn is by doing!
Volunteer with us!
We spoke to our volunteers about their experiences of the project. Watch our video online or join our volunteering sessions to discover the benefits for yourself!
- Weekdays: Wednesday (1.30pm – 4pm) or Thursday (9.30am – 12noon)
- Saturdays: check our website for the next monthly volunteer day (9.30am – 4pm)
Produce Pop-Ups: We have seasonal plants, including rhubarb crowns, and produce available on a donation basis. Pick yours up onsite or at our Murtle Estate Pop-Up. We also have large quantities (£105 per m3) and bags (£10.50/bag) of firewood available for sale. Contact us for more information!
To find out more visit the Compass website or email: compass@cwt.scot.
Facebook @CWTCompass
National Gardening Week at Duthie Park
At the beginning of May, Duthie Park celebrated National Gardening Week (1 – 7t May) with several gardening workshops to encourage new people into gardening and to promote healthier lifestyles. The workshops, which were held in the David Welch Winter Gardens, were organised in partnership with the Council and the Friends of Duthie Park, with volunteers from Royal Horticulture Society of Aberdeen (RHSA) leading the workshops.
The first workshop was on sensory gardening and was aimed at primary age children. The children learnt about the different plants that they can recognise using their different senses, they also got the chance to do some planting that they could take away and grow at home.
For the adults there were workshops on flower arranging, container gardening, greenhouse gardening and a cookery demonstration. For the flower arrangements workshop, the participants created an arrangement for the King’s Coronation and with the help of Wendy from the RHSA, some fantastic displays were made. At the container gardening workshop, the group were provided with tips on the best types of plants to use in containers and what types of soil to use. Each of the participants had also taken along a container they could plant up to take home. For the greenhouse workshop, they were given advice on how to get the best from their greenhouse, which plants like more warmth than others and how to use their greenhouse to extend the growing season.
After improving their gardening skills at the previous workshops, the final workshop of the week was on how to cook some of the lovely produce they were going to grow. At the cooking workshop, they were shown some easy to cook recipes which included Asparagus Twists, Leek Matches, Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi, and Beetroot & Espresso Brownie.
Over 40 people attended the workshops during the week, and we are grateful to Jim and Wendy from the RHSA, who came along and led the workshops and also provided the plants that the participants could plant up and take home.
Spring in the garden
With the weather finally improving the garden springs to life, too. In the raised beds the onion, pea and lettuce seeds were the first to germinate followed by the rapid growth of broad beans and courgette in the greenhouse.
We were approached by various corporate groups over the spring, who helped us improve the garden. They laid barked footpath across the (to be) woodland area and along the orchard; created a set of stairs and added a compound to the compost bays; made a temporary, more organized storage for the tools; created more trellises for bramble; and some fencing and lots of weeding. Our environmental team continues to support our work with removing the bramble.
Our first open day was held as part of Climate Week North East, attracted a fair amount of 30+ visitors against the chilly day. Thanks for Kimyoga4you; One Seed Forward; Newburgh Worms and CFINE for helping to make the day a success.
Going into the summer we still have some planting to do. We are continuing our collaborative work with organisations, including community gardens, schools and themed sessions with CFINE to put more emphasis on the positive effects of gardening on wellbeing.
We are aiming to engage families over the summer with programs including the rebuilding of the bee bank, creating a herb spiral, and creating fairy homes and hedgehog hides, starting with the participation in the Bio-blitz in May and June.
Our gardening sessions are held on Saturdays between 12.30 and 2.30 pm and Wednesdays between 3.30 and 5.30 pm, with Monday sessions to be added in the school holidays.
Come and join us to one of our sessions and see what are we up to.
Looking forward to see you on our St. Fitticks' Edible Garden site AB11 9QT, next to Nigg Bay Golf Club.
For more information e-mail the Cultivate Aberdeen team at info@cultivateaberdeen.co.uk, visit our website or find us on Facebook.
Aberdeen Flagship Parks for Pollinators
The Aberdeen Flagship Parks for Pollinators project aims to create and improve wildflower areas, woodland, wetland and pond areas for wildlife, focusing particularly on pollinating insects at Duthie and Seaton Parks.
Our project partner charity Buglife would say ”One in every three mouthfuls of our food depends on pollinators”, which accurately describes how important it is for us to do everything we can to improve and extend their habitats. Pollinators include bumblebees, bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, flies and various other insects and beetles.
Aberdeen Flagship Parks for Pollinators is the starting point for a bigger project which we hope to start in the autumn (if funding is awarded) with our current partners Buglife, where we will be looking at improving the way we manage Council land for wildlife. We will be focusing on developing a B-lines project to create, manage and improve habitats for pollinators along the rivers and coast in the city.
As part of the Aberdeen Flagship Parks for Pollinators project:-
- Wildflower areas are being created at Duthie and Seaton Park using species of plants found in the North East.
- Hydrological, ecological surveys and habitat action plans will be undertaken in the Seaton and Duthie Park
- Over 300 trees have been planted at Duthie Park.
- Scottish wildflower plug plants are being grown from seed.
- Community events – Bio-blitz held at Seaton Park on the 27 of May and Duthie Park on the 17 June.
Greenspace Scotland awarded the Aberdeen City Council £37,000 for the Aberdeen Flagship Parks for Pollinators Project.
Find out more about B-Lines by visiting the Buglife website
Enjoy Scotland’s Outdoors Responsibly
In Scotland we have some of the best access rights in the world. We are lucky in Aberdeen to have many opportunities for accessing the outdoors in and around the city. From award winning parks to riverside walks, coastal paths, forest trails and informal routes through farmland and settlements around the city, there's plenty to see and do outside.
With the weather improving it’s useful to know that you can enjoy the outdoors on most land and inland water as long as you act responsibly.
These are called your access rights and your rights and responsibilities are explained in the Scottish Outdoor Code.
Our environment benefits everyone’s health and quality of life so we can all do our bit and treat it with care:
- Take your rubbish home.
- Don’t disturb or damage wildlife or historic places.
- Paths are shared with others – be prepared to slow down or stop to let others pass.
- Keep your dog on a short lead or close at heel where needed.
- Leave all gates as you find them.
- Be prepared to go somewhere else if your destination is too crowded.
Bright Horizons nursery continues Champion City planting efforts
Children and nursery staff from Bright Horizons recently joined the Queen’s Green Canopy tree planting initiative in Aberdeen. The youngsters planted their tree in the Queens Terrace Gardens and were joined by two Council officers.
As well as joining in with the initiative, the nursery also accepted donations of welly boots from Aberdeen International Airport, who partnered with The Royal Horticultural Society to support their Greening Great Britain campaign. The nursery used the donations of wellies for the children to be able to use for planting.
Helen, Nursery Manager at Bright Horizons , said: “It's important that we all work together towards a greener and more sustainable tomorrow. We have an ‘Eco- Schools’ programme in place at our nursery that is designed to rally and unite our young people to make realistic but dynamic change, creating positive impacts for our planet now.
“This year we are pleased that we are working closely with Aberdeen City Council on a number of projects to ensure we play our part in maintaining the beauty of the Queen’s Terrace Gardens for our whole community to enjoy. We’ll be out litter picking and next month we’re looking forward to planting more flowers.”
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “The Council is delighted to have passed one of the Queen’s Green Canopy trees to Bright Horizons nursery. We know the youngsters will take great care and pride looking after it.”
Slopefield Allotments – Winter Work
Whilst it’s often said that winter is the time that the garden is put to bed this certainly hasn’t been the case this year at Slopefield Allotments. With over 110 allotments in the west of Aberdeen and an active Allotment Association which is always looking to improve our site, we were successful in obtaining a grant of over £800 from NESCAN (North East Climate Action Network). This grant allowed us to purchase wood to replace the old rotten raised beds on our community allotment on the site. These beds are used by the allotment community and pupils from Airyhall Primary School to grow a wide variety of crops and flowers.
If building the raised beds wasn’t enough winter work for our volunteers, we also prepared some of the vacant allotments for new plotters, replaced the cover of our community polytunnel, moved and rebuilt a large donated greenhouse to a community area for use by our allotmenteers, constructed new compost bins on the community allotment and had a general tidy up of the site.
For further information on Slopefield Allotments visit www.slopefieldallotments.org
Hutton sustainability recognised in first King’s Award for Enterprise
The James Hutton Institute has become one of the first recipients of the new King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. The award recognises the institute’s world-leading research on sustainability across land, food and natural resources and how it’s addressing its own sustainability as major scientific research establishment.
The Hutton, which employs more than 500 scientists across sites in Aberdeen and Dundee, and its three research farms, plays a pivotal role in delivering science across agriculture, food security, ecosystems and resilient communities.
Colin Campbell, the institute’s Chief Executive, said “We’re honoured to be a recipient of one of the first King’s Awards for Enterprise. Sustainability drives our research and we recognise the urgency with which we must all act.
“To move towards UK and Scottish Government net zero ambitions, innovation is needed and through our initiatives like the International Barley Hub (IBH), the Advanced Plant Growth Centre and our Climate-Positive Farming Initiative, Scotland is at the forefront of tackling these issues.”
The King’s Award for Enterprise recognises a wide range of activities that The James Hutton Institute undertakes to address global sustainability challenges, all of which are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The Hutton is also leading by example through several projects, including its Climate-Positive Farming Initiative, which seeks to achieve negative emissions through transforming farm activities.
In addition to its scientific research, the Hutton is also focused on its own financial and environmental sustainability. It has been reporting and reducing its emissions since 2013, through alternative and energy saving measures, from solar power to biomass, and has met and even exceeded short-term targets.
It also has biodiversity plans and is addressing recycling, waste and travel across its sites, while its Just Transition Hub project in Aberdeen will be helping to build capacity and share expertise in the transition.
Keep up with the Hutton’s news and updates by signing up for their newsletter.
Horticulture baby!
The weather in Spring 2023 seems to have forgotten to catch up with the season so far, but as the sun does start to raise its sleepy head many of us will be back out in the garden tending to fledgling flora. There are many ways gardeners can manage their waste for the benefit of their own gardens as well as the environment that they, and we, need to prosper.
Garden waste permits remain on sale through the Council website for £30 for up to two permits and an additional £30 for a third and provide the most direct way for you to dispose of green waste, with fortnightly collections from the kerbside for the year. Permits bought now will expire on 31 August 2023 which means there is still a full summer of sowing, growing and mowing still to go! You can buy a permit at www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/gardenwaste
Many nature nurturers, however, may have said no to mow in May as they took part in Plantlife’s No Mow May, an annual campaign calling all garden owners and green space managers not to mow during the month of May. The idea behind the campaign is to provide long grass and wildflowers for the benefit of wildlife and to aid pollination by providing food for bees and butterflies, and best of all, it means a whole month of not having to cut the grass!
For residents who don’t want to fork out for a permit, there are lots of alternative ways to dispose of garden waste. Home composting is an easy and effective way to deal with this waste, as well as food scraps from the kitchen. Fruit and veg peelings, egg shells and coffee grounds are great but any cooked food/bones etc. can attract vermin so these items should go in your brown bin with other food waste which is collected without the need for a permit.
Bugs and microbes found naturally in garden soil break down this waste to make compost. Advice on home composting is available on the Council website at www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/bins-waste-and-recycling/home-composting. HWRCs will also accept garden waste and are open seven days-a-week.
Duthie Park Ranger Service Events
Mighty Minibeasts
To celebrate this year’s topic of “connections” during British Science Week in March, the Duthie Park Ranger Service provided educational workshops to five early primary school. Over the week, 110 pupils visited the David Welch Winter Gardens to learn all about minibeasts and why they are important. The children went on a trail looking for clues and learned about the most amazing features that some of the minibeasts have. They also got hands-on and took part in a minibeast hunt, learned how to identify the different invertebrates and they even designed their very own beastie!
Busy Birds!
192 children attended the fun-filled sessions run by the Duthie Park Ranger Service during the Easter holidays. The children learned to recognise some of our most common garden visitors and even had a look at some old bird nests and the materials they were made with. They learned about the changes that spring brings for our feathered friends and even used lard and seeds to make a tasty treat for the hardworking parent birds! The older children built and decorated some bird boxes that have been put up around Duthie Park to provide a safe space to nesting birds. The younger children enjoyed lots of educational running games and crafting. Lots of great feedback was received and one parent wrote: “Absolutely fantastic session! So informative in an interesting way and perfect mix of games, learning and crafts. Thank you!!”
Muddy Play Day with NCT
A Muddy Play Day was organised by the Duthie Park Rangers for NCT Aberdeen, where children aged 0-5 years old and their parents enjoyed a day full of muddy fun at the Community Garden in Duthie Park. All the children and adults thoroughly enjoyed getting messy, making mud castles, and jumping in the puddles! The session provided a new sensory learning experience for the young children that were encouraged to get active and embrace the mud!
It's officially tick season again!
This is a good time of year to get back into the habit of regularly checking yourself for ticks and make sure you know how to safely remove them.
Ticks can be found anywhere there is wildlife, usually in woodland and moorland areas, and are particularly common between March and October
Ticks can't fly or jump but wait on leaves and grass waiting to climb on to the host. When a host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it then climbs aboard.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease, so it is important to be vigilant and check for ticks every time you are out and about in nature. Lyme disease can cause as a circular rash around the bite area several weeks after infection and be accompanied by flu like symptoms including a high temperature, tiredness and headache.
The image shows ticks of different ages so make sure to check well for the really tiny young ones!
You can reduce the chance of ticks by sticking to paths, covering up as much as possible, wearing light coloured clothing so ticks can be seen and using insect repellents.
Further information including how to remove a tick is available at www.nhsinform.scot/lyme-disease and the Lyme Resource Centre.
Aberdeen City Countryside Rangers Update
Scotstown Moor – Future Steps in Wetland Restoration
In addition to gorse removal, several other steps must be taken to conserve the wetland at Scotstown Moor. To assist with this, an ecologist was consulted so that a hydrology report could be commissioned for the site. This report provided the Ranger Service with a detailed plan that highlights the next steps in wetland restoration, the first of which was construction of eleven dams along a drainage channel on the site.
In April, a volunteer day was arranged to aid the rangers with construction of these dams. Using untreated timber, the dams were built to specification at the pre-marked locations. Sections of peat were also removed to create overspill pools for the dams. These chunks of peat were then added to the dams to reinforce their timber skeletons.
Above: A wooden dam halfway through construction at Scotstown Moor LNR.
These first steps in improving Scotstown Moor’s wetland are crucial as the area is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This designation is due to the presence of black bog-rush (Schoenus nigricans), a locally rare species of plant. Dam construction should also encourage the growth of wetland moss species, which will store atmospheric CO2.
Tackling Fire Lighting at the Donmouth
Every year, many campfires and disposable BBQs must be deconstructed and removed from the Donmouth LNR. Fire lighting is not permitted on any Council-owned land, and it can be especially harmful when it is conducted on wildlife-rich nature reserves.
Large boulders and pieces of driftwood are regularly used as makeshift chairs and stone rings to accompany campfires. These stones do nothing to prevent fires from spreading as flames can burn down into the ground and ignite nearby vegetation. This reckless fire lighting endangers both people and wildlife, including protected species found in the area, such as common lizards (Zootoca vivipara).
The Countryside Ranger Service regularly organises volunteer days to aid in deconstruction of fire pits and removal of litter from the site. These issues will only become more prevalent as we enter the warm summer months. To combat this, the rangers will conduct more regular site visits to the area to remove fire pits and educate the public on the dangers of fire lighting in countryside spaces.
Above: An unauthorised fire pit at the Donmouth LNR.
Donmouth Boardwalks and Breeding Birds
Within the last year, the land on the south side of the Donmouth LNR was developed to encourage breeding birds to utilise the area. Recently, a contractor was hired to build a secure fence around these breeding bird scrapes. This fence will prevent site users and dogs from disturbing any breeding birds, including waders and other vulnerable shorebirds.
In addition, there are plans to reinstate the damaged boardwalk on the southern edge of the site. This improved footpath will allow a greater range of site users to access and enjoy the scenery and wildlife that Donmouth has to offer. This increased access to nature will also positively contribute to the mental wellbeing of the public.
Den of Maidencraig and Scotstown Moor Educational Visits
Alongside practical conservation tasks, the rangers have also hosted several educational workshops at the Den of Maidencraig and Scotstown Moor LNRs. These workshops have focussed on pond dipping and highlight to attendees the amazing biodiversity that can be found in Aberdeen.
During the sessions, several notable species were found, including palmate newts, common frogs, diving beetle larvae and caddisfly larvae. Many of these species are indicators of good water quality, showing just how rich and pristine some of Aberdeen’s freshwater habitats are.
Above: A palmate newt found during a public pond dipping workshop.
With the summer holidays fast approaching, there are plans to host more of these free and family-friendly workshops across all four of Aberdeen’s LNRs. A range of topics will be covered, ranging from moth trapping to bat detection, to butterfly surveys and more pond dipping.
All our upcoming events are currently listed online on our Eventbrite page.
News Updates and Events
- Giant hogweed firmly on the menu for a flock of hungry sheep at Inverurie
- Find Plants for Pollinators – RHS Downloadable lists
- One year countdown to Low Emission Zone going live
- Check out the latest Aberdeen Countryside Rangers Volunteering Events
- AREG launches 2024 photography competition to put renewable energy in the frame
- Find your local social Health Walk - short, safe, social, fun and accessible low level walks led by trained volunteers
- Consultation to be held for work to protect bridge during flooding
- Aberdeen City Council declares climate and nature emergency
- Submit your Biological Records through NESBReC
