Charity No: SC028174
Company No: 188446

Telephone:
01592 891567
Email: admin@theecologycentre.org

Working with Communities

Background
The “Greening Muirton” strategy formed part of the Muirton Estate regeneration project in Perth. Its purpose was to contribute to the regeneration of the area by ensuring that the potential of public and private green space was realised.  Community consultation was central to the plan and our extensive community partnership experience led Perthshire Housing Association to approach us about working on the project.

Our Brief
Our project brief was to involve local people, of varying abilities, in the creation of three small community gardens and a wildflower meadow within the Pocket Park, which was seen as the green “heart” to the estate. In addition, communal seating was to be provided through our Out of the Wood workshop. By involving the local residents, it was hoped that this would encourage a sense of community and ownership of the area. The funding necessary to carry out this work was secured by Perthshire Housing Association from the Big Lottery Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage and Perthshire Quality of Life Trust.

Project Set-up
The Ecology Centre delivered short inspirational talks to targeted groups of residents and organised learning visits to our Centre by Kinghorn Loch. The groups were particularly interested to see what had been achieved through our volunteer programme and how this working practice could be applied to their project. The visits were followed up by a presentation to Muirton residents outlining an action plan of how The Ecology Centre would work with the community, particularly by targeting teenagers.

To reach the local youths, Ronnie Mackie, Operations Manager at The Ecology Centre, visited the local secondary School where potential pupils had been identified to take part in the project. A short presentation, followed by some practical demonstrations on the nature of the project, encouraged six of the young people to sign up for the programme.

Implementation
The teenagers visited The Ecology Centre on occasions to take part in a series of activities designed to motivate. They were shown how to plant trees and, crucially, for each tree that they planted, their name was written on the protective tube, thus establishing a sense of ownership. 

The first piece of work on the young men's 'home turf' was to establish a flower bed that had previously suffered damage within days of planting. Hot, dry ground conditions provided many challenges but by the end of the day a beech hedge, a large cherry tree and several hundred plants and shrubs were planted with a very obvious improvement to the amenity of the area. 

The final session involved the youths developing the Pocket Park, the focal point for the community. They planted large birch trees and shrubs, and, as well as laying all the turf areas, they helped the tradesman build the dyke that is the main feature of the park. 

The community based project also involved children, from two local primary schools, in wildflower planting. A team from The Ecology Centre supervised and assisted over 200 children throughout the day. 

Successful Outcomes
There were many outcomes from this project. The sense of achievement that the community felt from pulling together and being involved in the project from start to finish was evident. 

The work with the teenagers was particularly rewarding, as the sense of ownership of the project and their feelings of achievement grew. The participants showed a serious interest in the work, which provided them with a goal for possible future employment. More significantly, the youths experienced a strong feeling of being part of their community rather than outside it. 

The attitude of the residents also changed as they observed how hard the group of youths worked on the project.

Ecology Centre Enterprise manufactured and installed seating for the public park area. The seating is a fantastic addition to what has become a usable and admired public park, of which residents of all ages in the local community are proud.

If you wish to discuss any projects your organisation may have where you feel The Ecology Centre could be involved for the benefit of the people who live and work in your communities, please contact ronnie@theecoclogycentre.org or telephone 01592 891567