Issued before Christmas, the newsletter has all the essentials for the communities of Colintraive and Glendaruel. This time the focus was on resilience.
Category: Archaeology
Work with Archaeology Scotland on this brand new project to discover the chambered cairn, working in Colintraive Village Hall and on site at the Cairn. If you are unable to attend both days or for all of the sessions, that’s fine.
Everybody is welcome, with any level of archaeological knowledge. This will be a 2 year community project. Your knowledge and input are very welcome and you will be in a position to help interpret and access the Cairn from the very start.
“Adopt-a-Monument is a nation-wide Community Archaeology scheme that provides volunteer groups with the practical advice and training they need to care and conserve their local heritage. The project encourages groups to get involved in hands-on activities to improve the condition, accessibility and interpretation of their chosen site. Between 2011 and 2016, we will work with 40 community groups to equip volunteers with new skills in archaeological fieldwork and conservation, which can be used again and again to promote the heritage of their local area. More information on Adopt-a-Monument can be found on our website www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk .
While the aims for this project are still being decided, we felt we can help with the following aspects.
• Provide training to survey, record and monitor cultural heritage assets within the woodland [Field Survey, detailed site survey/ desk based research]
• Help advise with path creation, interpretation (both with panels and leaflets, but also through digital interpretation)
• Help create a management plan for the cultural heritage assets within the woodland
• Help advise on future fundraising, project planning, insurance
• Can help the group network with other community archaeology groups within Scotland
We are keen though for the project to develop how you, the participants want it to! If you are particular interested in a particular archaeological feature or are keen to develop a specific archaeological skill, we will try (when possible!) to build that into the project.”
Lunch and refreshments are provided on both days. Participants must dress for the weather conditions and sound footwear is strongly advised. The access route to the Cairn can be quite challenging and demands a certain level of mobility and fitness. If you decide not to walk the route there will be other archaeological activities on site. If you would like to participate in the weekend event please email Mark at mark@cgdt.org or phone the office in Colintraive on 01700 841358. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you there.
10th October 6pm-8pm at the Colintraive village hall. We will be looking to form a forest group to establish the roles and responsibilities of the group and start to look at key issues that came out of our last public meeting, such as access into the forest.
9th November 10.30-1.00pm at the Colintraive village hall. A “Woodland croft workshop for committed crofters”. Participants will be asked to book on and submit a registration form. Analysis of submitted forms will form the basis of discussions and we will have expert advice available for potential crofters questions. Part of the session will include site visits to potential woodland croft areas.
23rd and 24th November (timings to be confirmed). A weekend of community archaeology, working with Archaeology Scotland on the access, interpretation and conservation of the chambered cairn.
More information for each of these events will be made available soon.
Mark Chambers, our Community Forest Officer has recently written to the community, so for those of you not on our mailing list, or just keeping an eye on how CGDT are going here’s what he says:
Hello,
My name is Mark and I have recently been appointed as the Community Forest Development Officer for the Stronafian Forest. I have immediately found this community to be very welcoming and proud of its heritage. The people I have met have been really friendly to my wife (Gill) and I. We feel extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to live amongst all of you, here in Colintraive and Glendaruel.
We have a grown-up family who live in Newcastle, and hope to visit often. My eldest daughter is currently at University, my other daughter works in a famous department store in Newcastle and my son is currently working for a charity in Bangladesh.
Firstly, for my sins, I am a Newcastle United supporter. I have a varied work history prior to my position here, including working as a soldier (Light Infantry and Royal Engineers), working as a prison officer (mainly long-term young offenders) and running several businesses, as well as community work, youth work management and ecology. I studied Countryside Management at Newcastle University and Community and Youth Work at Durham University. My hobbies used to include rugby, boxing and hunting with hawks, but now I prefer being stung as a beekeeper, wildlife as a whole, cycling and the occasional drink.
The population of Glendaruel and Colintraive is much dispersed and that is the main reason that I haven’t as yet been able to meet all of you. I grasped the opportunity to work with this community with both hands. I firmly believe that by working together we can make a difference to the future of this community, especially for the children and young people. I see my position as one which supports your ideas and relays this to the Development Trust. Some of you will have taken part in surveys in the past regarding the forest. These surveys were important to get us up and running. Now your participation is vital in this, the 2nd stage of the forest development, (stage 1 was the successful purchase).
As you are aware, there are similar community forests to ours and we are lucky enough to be able to emulate their best practice. We are unique in the fact that we now own a huge forest and that we will be leasing out the commercial timber production. The community will have access to all of the forest, apart from occasions when timber is being processed.
Previous community surveys show that you had some ideas of how we could use the forest. I have met with various groups and I am aware that other ideas have been suggested. This is a list of ideas that you had suggested (this list was taken from the Stronafian Forest Business Plan, available on CGDT website under publications):
- Several picnic sites connected by forest walks
- A forest style children’s playground
- A stocked fishing lake
- Strategically placed hides for bird/animal watching
- Bridleway for pony trekking and a ménage
- A nursery for native plants and trees
- Conservation of chambered cairn
- Forest burials
- Forest crofts
- Local food production
- Energy production (bio mass/hydro/wind/solar)
- Saw mill, providing wood, bark chippings etc
- Sustainable housing
- Quad biking
- Archery
- Stalking and clay pigeon shooting
- Astronomy centre
- Tennis courts
Your suggestions were made some time ago and, perhaps, you may have forgotten, not participated or changed your mind since then. Developing and maintaining services in the forest will come at a financial cost. Some costs cannot be transferred to users such as cyclists or walkers. The community will benefit through tourist participation in the Community Forest and this benefit will sustain employment and help to retain young people in the area, which in turn will retain and improve vital services such as the school, health care and bus services.
Community support will help to secure funding, which enables the Development Trust to commission a feasibility study into using our natural resources to deliver a reliable financial income to maintain services such as cycle paths and picnic areas. Finances would also be necessary to develop additional ideas. Renewable energy projects such as Community Hydro and/or Community Wind could provide this income. After an initial feasibility study of renewable energy sources, we would then be able to consult with you again with more information. We would seek guidance from Community Energy Scotland (CES) and I have provided 2 Case studies of community renewables for you to look at.
- http://www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk/assets/0000/6359/IGHT_20case_20study_202_1_.pdf
- http://www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk/assets/0001/0916/North_Harris_Trust_-_Hydro_Electric_Scheme_case_study.pdf
Woodland crofts are a relatively new concept, and in the near future community members will be invited to actively participate in helping to set the criteria and the subsequent selection of potential crofters for these woodland crofts. These woodland crofts are amazing opportunities for those with a love of forest management and sustainable living and can offer housing and business opportunities. You can find more information on this website, www.woodlandcrofts.org.
We have the advantage of being able to obtain wood from the commercial forest tenant and process this into wood-fuel that can be made available to the community and possibly to supply a wider market.
The following questions will help the Trust to gain an understanding of your forest use and what you see as important areas/items to be developed in the Community Forest. I will be available to discuss any of these areas with you, either in person, by telephone or by email. Thanks for your time and please take time to complete the very brief 3-minute questionnaire. Your ideas and input will help to formulate the Development Trust’s Master Plan.
- To take part in the survey click here
We have a planned celebration day on July 13th which will include some family activities, food and in the evening we are holding a Ceilidh. The day and evening’s activities will be free. There will be a raffle and any money raised will go to the Kilmodan primary school. Bar profits will be shared between the Colglen shinty club and Kilmodan School. More information will be displayed and any raffle prizes will be gratefully received on the day or night of the 13th or to the office in the Colintraive hall.
Last weekend an intrepid pair of Glendaruels ventured up to the chambered cairn – we thought you might like to see the photos:
