Scents and Sensitivities at Auchinstarry

Vote and help win £6,000 to create a bog garden

We are in with a chance of winning £6,000 from the RBS Community Force scheme. Vote for our idea to create a bog garden at Auchinstarry marina and we will be able to make this a reality.

The bog garden will help attract damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies along with frogs and newts to the site, making it a fascinating place for you to visit and discover wildlife.

With your help we can do this. Take a few moments and vote for today by:

1. Going to RBS Community Force
2. Register on the site by clicking on 'Register' on the top right of screen
3. Confirm your registration on the email that you receive
4. Click on 'Projects'
5. Search 'by project name' for The Waterways Trust Scotland
6. Vote!

You can vote for our project between Monday 26 September and Sunday 23 October.

Auchinstarry marina on the Forth & Clyde Canal at Croy, near Kilsyth has been transformed through our Scents & Sensitivities project. It's now somewhere walkers, cyclists, boaters and visitors to the area can sit and enjoy the canal and natural environment.

In March, 2011 over 100 school children and the local community turned out to help celebrate the completion of this three-year long £440,000 project.

See the new sculptures, trail and garden.

 

The project

In Phase 1 we worked with the local community to create a nature trail and sensory garden. We used sustainable materials throughout the project - some of the seating areas were made using old lock gates.

We also planted hedgerows created a wild flower meadow and planted more woodland to provide a variety of wildlife habitats.

The centre piece to the trail is a sculpture created by artist Barry Grove, members of the public voted for the design, and artist Robert Coia has created two dramatic seats for the garden which feature water-based animals.

Involving the community

We've extended this work in Phase II - creating a Sensory Trail comprising of willow tunnels, secret dells, new paths linking Phase I and II and the new Soon Cut Path, new ceramic interpretation panels and a time totem.  Local children and residents have created colourful artwork to tell the story of the wildlife and heritage of the site and the new Friends of Auchinstarry group are helping to take care of the gardens and trail. Have a look at the new uploaded photos of the Sensory Trail.

Three Modern Apprentices studying for an SVQ used used the project to learn new skills and gain valuable practical work-experience. This was part of an employability project run in partnership with Twechar Environmental Training Project and funded by Coalfields Regeneration Trust and Kelvin Valley Leader.

Partners

British Waterways Scotland, Deepfired, Urban Design Futures, May Gurney, North Lanarkshire Council, and Forestry Commission Scotland.

See what's been done

You can see photographs of the work that has been done and the people who have helped. We hope you enjoy visiting and using the canal basin.

Find out more

For more information about this project or to discover how we are helping to transform Scotland's waterways contact us on-line or call 01324 677822.

Funders

Phase I was funded by: Big Lottery, Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN), The Miss Agnes H Hunter's Trust, Central Scotland Forest Trust, North Lanarkshire Council, The Tubney Charitable Trust, the James and John Napier's Trust, The Environmental Key Fund (which is supported by North Lanarkshire Council, North Lanarkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund, Western Scotland Object 2 2000-2006 programme) and Selwood.

Phase II was funded by: North Lanarkshire Council, CEMEX Community Fund, HBOS Foundation, Kelvin Valley Leader, WREN and the Forestry Commission Scotland.