Get involved!
The Westburn Woods Community Project is an exciting new project running in Wester Hailes in a small and special patch of woodland in Westburn.
Through a series of weekly volunteer events facilitated by New Caledonian Woodlands the community will make the woodland a safer, more accessible and nicer place to be in.
Sessions run every Thursday, 2pm to 5pm and they are free. Meeting in the woods (Morvenside, Edinburgh EH14 2TB)
Come on your own or bring a group, the more the merrier. All of these events will be suitable for children so you can bring the whole family. There will even be a safe space for very young ones to sit and play with a parent. You are also welcome to just come and observe at first - meet the group, see what’s happening and decide later if you want to get involved.
There are many reasons to get involved. Gain skills and confidence, try something new, connect with people in your community and have fun!
Here is a taster of some of the sessions we could run with your help:
Make the woods clean, safe and more accessible
- Remove dangerous branches
- Build paths through the woods
- Build steps on the slopes
- Clean up the litter.
Learn what lives in the woods
- Identify the tree, plant and animal species in the woods and
create a map - Go bug hunting under logs and stone
- Dip nets in the canal to see what you find.
Make the woods nicer to be in
- Build benches
- Build a fire pit to cook on
- Build a play area
- Build bird and bat boxes
- Build a dry stone wall
- Plant native trees and plants
- Creating a display board for the woods.
Many other sessions we could run to use and enjoy the woods:
- Art and craft in the woods
- Learn how to carve a wooden spoon
- Learn how to weave with foraged materials
- Learn how to make rope with natural materials
- Learn ancient ways of making fire
- Learn how to whittle a wooden butter knife
- Learn how to carve a wooden bowl
- Learn how to build a shelter
- Experiment with different camping set ups
- Try a blindfolded walk following a rope course
- Learn about nature photography
- Practice nature drawing and painting
- Try a yoga, tai chi, or mindfulness class
- Try tree climbing and zip-lining with harness and rope
- Try micro orienteering
- Learn about healthy eating at a picnic in the woods.
We need you to make this happen. Everyone welcome. Get involved by just turning up or contact Ben Campbell for more info: 07754622448 or ben.campbell@newcaledonianwoodlands.org
