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Healthy Heart Garden celebrates installation of new greenhouse

July 29, 2015 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

Renfrewshire Environmental Trust has received a funding boost thanks to players of a charity lottery. The award of £8,579 by People’s Postcode Trust, a grant-giving charity is funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

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Renfrewshire Environmental Trust has used the moneyto assist adults with disabilities who are involved in work experience at the Healthy HeartGarden, which is based within the Disability Resource Centre, Paisley. This project provides access to a safe outdoor learning environment for participants to gain gardening skills and increased their physical activity .

The funds provide a new fully, accessible greenhouse to enable the growing of vegetables. This project is undertaken by a partnership between Renfrewshire Environmental Trust, Healthy Heart Garden and with in-kind manual labour from Community Payback at Renfrewshire Council.

Gordon Dickson, a volunteer at the Healthy Heart Garden said; “Thanks to funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery, we have achieved a long-term aim of having a large bespoke greenhouse based at the Healthy Heart Garden. This will help to extend the gardening activities during the year, particularly in the winter months. We would also like to thank the Community Payback unit of Renfrewshire Council for their support in completing the preparation of the site and joinery work for the new greenhouse. Their unstinting support for the Healthy Heart Garden has been invaluable.”

People’s Postcode Lottery is a charity lottery, where players play with their postcodes to win cash prizes while raising money for good causes. As a charity lottery, 50p from every £2 ticket goes to support charities and good causes across England, Scotland and Wales, including People’s Postcode Trust. People’s Postcode Lottery believes in supporting local communities so the money raised stays local to players.

Further information about the project is provided by a new video – go to www.moviemakers.org.uk where the film is entitled ‘Healthy Heart Garden: New Greenhouse’.

The website for the Renfrewshire Environmental Trust at www.retrust.org.uk

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Groundworks underway for new greenhouse

February 8, 2015 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

This week, the site for the new greenhouse at the Healthy Heart Garden in Paisley was being prepared. Renfrewshire Council’s Community Service Unit has been assisting volunteers with clearing and levelling the site over recent weeks. The installation of the new greenhouse is expected to be completed by the end of March 2015. Another greenhouse is located nearby and it is being repaired. This project is funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery.

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Greenhouse for Health Heart Garden

December 9, 2014 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

We are supporting the provision of a new greenhouse and project activities based at the Healthy Heart Garden, Paisley.
A project providing a new greenhouse and project activities based at the Healthy Heart Garden, the Disability Resource Centre, Love Street, Paisley is underway. This is undertaken as a partnership between Renfrewshire Environmental Trust, Healthy Heart Garden and with in-kind manual labour from Community Service Unit of Renfrewshire Council. The beneficiaries are adults with learning disabilities/physical disabilities living in Renfrewshire who lack social skills, self-confidence and work experience who volunteer at the Healthy Heart Garden. There are five regular volunteers. The project is open to local school pupils, and groups interested in gardening. Two workshops will take place with talks about gardening using a greenhouse and raised beds.
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Recipes for making chutneys and sauces will be produced and distributed to pupils and local groups. Access to a safe outdoor learning environment, providing social space to gain Gardening skills and increased physical activity for disabled people. The funds will provide a new fully, accessible greenhouse to enable the growing of vegetables which supports the developing confidence, as well as general health and wellbeing of disabled people accessing the Healthy Heart Garden for gardening and recreation.
Thanks to funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery.

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Getting off the bus early?

April 13, 2014 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

This week, we received a letter from the Scottish Government promoting “Fit in ’14” which is a nationwide initiative to encourage us to become more physically active, in and out the workplace.

The benefits of a more active workforce are listed as:

– lower levels of staff illness, absence and quicker recovery times
– reduction in stress
– increased satisfaction at work
– a more productive workforce

We have to register online to take part and support activities to be more active including getting off the bus a couple of stops early, and cycling to work.

Details available at: fitin14.org/getting started

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Bumbebee Conservation Celebrated

April 13, 2014 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

As part of Climate Week event, people involved in the Fork to Fork Learning and Training Project met up with Anthony McCluskey, Outreach Officer of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust at Capability Scotland, West Lane Gardens, Johnstone. 

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Anthony gave a very informative talk about how bumblebees have been declining because of changes in agricultural practices that have largely removed flowers from our farms and local landscape, leaving the bumblebees with little to feed upon. Most UK species of bumblebee have greatly declined in recent years, and two have become extinct in the UK since 1940.

Across the UK, there are 24 species of bumblebee but only eight are found in most areas. Bumblebees are found in a variety of habitats and it is possible to attract them to gardens provided there are appropriate flowering plants.

Anthony highlighted that some species are less common and are only found in a few places. For example, the Great yellow bumblebee is now only found on the north coast and some islands of Scotland. This species previously had a wide distribution throughout the UK, but habitat degradation has seen its numbers decline dramatically in most places.

To learn more about bumblebees, please log on to: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about-bees/

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Hedgehogs are declining and need our support

April 13, 2014 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species has written to highlight that their survey shows that “hedgehogs have declined by a third in the UK over the last ten years and by as much as half in some regions”.

There is an ongoing campaign known as “Hedgehog Street” which is making progress but there is still much more to be done.

The reasons for the decline are given as  poor hedgerows, larger agricultural fields, use of pesticides, and busier roads.

It is especially important to restore hedgerows to provide shelter and for field margins and grasslands to be sensitively managed.

For more information, please log on to:http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/

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Learning about Bugs and Minibeasts

May 10, 2013 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

The Trust supports environmental education programmes with local groups and this includes working with pupils and staff within primary schools.

We have provided assistance in learning activities for young people interested in improving habitats for wildlife within their playgrounds. In recent weeks, we facilitated the creation of a bug hotel using recycled pallets.

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This work promotes the development of project ideas by pupils and staff involved in the Eco-committees.  Future plans could include the planting of fruit trees, wildflower meadows, and creation of a pond in a water logged areas.

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Development of gardening skills in Paisley.

January 23, 2013 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

From the beginning of December 2012 to the end of March 2013, the Trust is providing gardening skills workshops, both indoor and outdoor, within the training facilities and community gardens at 74 Love Street, Paisley.

We are working with up ten adult participants with learning and physical disabilities for 7 hours per week. Up to five volunteers will work alongside the sessional worker to support learning by participants.

The community garden will be accessed by other adults for therapeutic and health benefits including relaxation, and short walks.

This is possible thanks to funding from Foundation Scotland.

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Calling House Sparrows

January 22, 2013 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

The project is providing bird boxes to be located within the community garden at 74 Love Street. These bird boxes will help protect and encourage the local population of house sparrows.

A total of 12 people are involved in developing this project to support bird life. We are working in partnership with the Disability Resource Centre and Renfrewshire Council to raise awareness of house sparrows. This is funded by a grant by CSV Earth Action.

The aims of the project are:-

i) To protect and encourage the breeding of House Sparrows.
ii) To raise awareness and develop better understanding of the House Sparrow.
iii) To support the involvement of volunteers in the recording and monitoring of House Sparrows.

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Planting of shrubs to encourage birdlife was completed at the Disability Resource centre in December 2012. Wood has been purchased to make nestboxes for sparrows. Reference is being made to the RSPB information leaflet on building nestboxes and construction of nestboxes is progressing. DSCF0001

House sparrows are under threat and this project is part of a network of activities to support their breeding.

Further information is available at http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/h/housesparrow/index.aspx

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Celebrations at Fork to Fork

December 7, 2012 by Renfrewshire Environmental Trust

The Fork to Fork Training and Learning Project celebrated the completion of Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Certificates on 23rd october 2012. A total of 12 participants received their full certificates from Margaret Teale of the Society.

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Over the winter months, a group of new participants will undertake a learning programme botth indoors and outdoors, with the aim of completing the certificate from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. This is funded by the Hugh Fraser Foundation and the Scottish Community Foundation.

 

 

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