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Update 2001
Bend it, weave it …
Wiston
Lodge was the ideal venue for our 'living willow' weekend. We were a sizeable
group of folk all interested in discovering the versatility of willow. We kicked
off with some favourite warm-up 'getting-to-know-you' games (Sarah's list of favourites
was endless!), followed by a walk around the estate and a look at the properties
and uses of willow. Before lunch, by the open fire, we had a brainstorm session
on what people had in mind for the afternoon's task of dome construction.
The afternoon flew by. Two groups chose a site and set to work and by 4pm we were all tired but happy and truly surprised at how easy it is to create a work of art with some willow, a touch of artistic flair and a lot of enthusiasm! Countless photo opportunities later (thanks Lindsey) we returned to the open fire and spent the rest of the evening fighting sleep and getting to grips with making baby rattles.
Sunday morning was crisp and white and we braved the elements to have another go at something slightly different. A couple of hours later we ended up with an exotic willow BUG of sorts! More 'pile in' photo sessions whilst the snow came down thick and fast.
After yet another fantastic meal we retired to the fire once again for some gentle basketry! We managed the odd basket base, some willow garden supports and yet more baby rattles. No-one went home empty handed nor empty stomached!
We identified lots of possible material for future weekend projects such as making hedgerow baskets, building a living willow settlement and Christmas wreaths. All just excuses to return to Wiston Lodge again. Thanks for a great weekend folks- look forward to seeing you later in the year.
Lou Evans (Green Team leader)
Holyrood Park was the venue for our first one-day project this year and we were
lucky that it was one of the few places not closed due to foot and mouth disease.
The participants carried out a survey of the very rare plume moth found locally
in only 2 places one of which is Holyrood Park. The plume moth likes to lay its
eggs on the plant wood sage to give its caterpillars a tasty start to life.
The team started the day by clearing gorse from around the wood sage to allow it to spread and so that they wouldn't get too many thorns in their hands when they went to carry out the survey. Later with maps and clipboards they went in search of signs of the plume moth only to find that with the late spring very few eggs had yet been laid. Still, when the moths do arrive they will find a lovely clear area of wood sage just waiting for them!
Meetings with remarkable trees... (Due to the outbreak of foot & mouth disease this weekend was spent on the beaches of East Lothian clearing back buckthorn from the paths, dismantling a platform and helping Longniddry Bio-diversity group.)
I
woke up on the Saturday and packed my bag for nine o'clock. The first thing I
noticed about the Green Team was the very relaxed atmosphere. There were eight
people plus the leaders there. Five girls and three boys.
We had lunch on the first day by Gullane Beach where we discussed what we would do in the afternoon. We would be cutting buckthorn or pulling up an old walkway for the disabled. I chose to help pull up the walkway rather than risk cutting buckthorn (which is very thorny as it's name suggests). It was hard work but it was very satisfying to see the walkway gradually disappear. The weather was sunny and all of us had tans or sunburn by the time we went to get icecreams.
In the evening we went to a converted primary school for the night. Although it brought back memories of my primary school, it was much warmer than sleeping in a tepee as I had done the last time I went on a Green Team weekend! We only got to bed at two after we were too tired to play more games. The next day was spent in a semi-asleep daze because we were woken up at six by some mystery person. After Sunday's work clearing up the beach at Longniddry we had a barbecue and then went home. The weekend was extremely worthwhile and I enjoyed it immensely.
Hugo Martay (Green Team participant)
On a fine Sunday morning in June we met at Waverley station and took a quick train journey out to Linlithgow. A bit of wild flower identification/guesswork was carried out on the walk to meet up with Ann the other Green Team leader and Esther the ranger around the far side of the Linlithgow Loch.
Woodland planting had been carried out about 25 years previously to create a natural screen between the M8 and the loch. Our mission was to help open up this woodland by creating a pathway through, and the more interesting the route the better!
Two teams, a length of rope and some creative visualisation later, we had planned our attack and path clearance began. Starting to clear from both ends it wasn't long before we met in the middle, admired our superb work and settled down for lunch.
After lunch we were treated to a guided walk by the ranger along the edge of the
loch with great views of Linlithgow Palace and signs of badger activity and then
spent some time doing environmental art in our woodland.
All in all a great day and with 4 more plantations by the loch in need of secret pathways there's plenty of scope for future Green Team projects!
Russell Kelly (Green Team leader)
On Sunday 29 July, the Green Team took on the weeds and undergrowth at Gorgie City Farm. There were big branches of willow and other trees waiting for us.We divided into three groups and started cutting and sawing. Although I thought it was going to be an easy job, it turned out to be harder than I thought. I was pleased to find out I was pretty good with a saw if someone held the other end of the branch.
A cockerel was right beside where we were working and it crowed all morning. We finally dragged the wood away and piled it up to be collected. After a much-needed juice break we began to clear weeds and overhanging branches from the paths in the wildlife garden. We felt good about what we had achieved by lunchtime.
After lunch we played games for a while, then went for a walk round the farm to
look at the animals. Then back to the site to finish off the weeding, followed
by a game where people got into pairs. One person was blindfolded and led to a
tree. You had to feel the branches and hug the trunk. Then when the blindfold
was off you had to find your tree again. It made me realise that touch is just
as important as looking.
It was a great day and everyone seemed to get on well together. I’m hoping to see the participants again at other Green Team projects.
Sarah Allan (Green Team participant and member of the Management Committee)
On the 25th of August the Green Team headed off to the St. Abb's coast to do hawthorn removal. On the first day we met the Countryside Ranger at St. Abb's who gave us a short introductory talk about the wildlife in the area and we then went on a walk around the coast line to look for plants and animals. Unfortunately we failed to see the dolphins he had told us to look out for.
We then moved on to Coldingham Sands and met the Countryside Ranger there to go rock pooling before starting work on the hawthorns. We were removing hawthorn bushes to create a more ideal habitat for the small blue butterfly to be reintroduced into. It was hard work but at the end of the day we went back to our accommodation at Grantshouse Outdoor Centre to relax and play games. We also went on a very fun nightline which Sarah arranged. The next day we got back to work on cutting the hawthorn and burning it down on the beach. By the end of the day a fair amount of the hawthorn was gone and we were pleased with our efforts as we left to go home. I had a really enjoyable weekend meeting new people and seeing those who had been on previous weekends.
Vanessa McMillan (Green Team participant)
If you go down to the woods today...
On the 8th September the Green Team went to Vogrie Country Park to thin out some alder trees. When we arrived we got to see where we were staying - in the castle that the Brownies use - and it was huge! We met the Ranger and he showed us round the place and where we were working and what to cut. After that we were looking at different types of mushrooms that grew there. There was someone from the Botanical Gardens who studies mushrooms, so we wanted to see what he had found. We then started working on the trees. We were told to leave 5 branches on each alder tree and then trim it down.
In the evening we went bat hunting. We had a device that picked up on the bats frequency and then we put a torch in that direction and hoped to see a bat, which we did. By then it was getting dark so it was time to eat. We had a fire and cooked our food. This went fairly well except for the potatoes which were so burned that you could not eat them which I found out the hard way! Apart from that the food was good though. After we had eaten, as it wasn't raining, we stayed outside and talked which was really good because it was so peaceful and the fire kept us warm. By the time we started packing up the castle looked quite scary as old castles do at night, but we were fine.
Next morning before we went down to do more work on the trees some of us went to the adventure play park. It was OK except the spider's web which was under repair. Before we left we had to tidy up the castle because the Brownie leader was coming to inspect it -by the time she arrived we were leaving!
Mike Wilson (Green Team participant)
Remember, Remember the 10th of November...
The weekend of the 10th and 11th of November marked the end of another year for the Green Team. We did conservation work in the grounds of Wiston Lodge and had a ceilidh on the Saturday night. The work consisted of a few different jobs. When we arrived Meg, who works at Wiston Lodge, gave us a tour around the grounds, pointing out what needed doing.
The pond had unfortunately been vandalised along with a bridge and a bench. We set to work clearing out the pond and repairing the bench and bridge. I worked on the bridge with Sarah and Morvern , and somehow managed to fall straight into the middle of the pond! By the time darkness began to fall we trooped back to the house tired, happy and very muddy ready to make decorations for the ceilidh hall with natural materials.
Tea that night was very much appreciated to say the least. The ceilidh was fantastic. Everyone joined in the dancing with some hilarious results.Some of us didn't know the dances but had great fun learning. At about 11 o'clock when we left the ceilidh and got ready for bed Paul found the BFG on video so we sat in our pyjamas, wrapped in our douvets and watched it, including the leaders! It was a funny sight.
The next day we split into 3 groups. The first group headed back to the bridge,
the second group had a go at 'rhoddy bashing' and my group repaired the roof on
the mud hut. The time flew by yet again. Morvern and Barry took turns at lying
on the roof and hammering in nails and placing brash and turf on the roof. I'm
surprised they didn't fall off.
When it was time to leave we were all exhausted but very happy. I was pleased with the work we did and was thrilled to see that the willow domes I had helped build at the start of the year had begun to grow. Everyone had a fantastic time and really enjoyed themselves. Wiston Lodge was brilliant and I know I will return next year to do more to help the environment!
Heather Penman (Green Team participant)
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