New Faces, New Places, and Plenty of Inspiration
New to the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, I have been making the most of my first few weeks by getting out and about, meeting groups across Inner Moray Firth and learning more about the fantastic work already happening locally.
My visits have included the Cromarty Firth Men's Shed, Inverness Tool Library, Dunain Community Woodland, Inverness Greenspaces and the new Cromarty Community Garden.
Cromarty Firth’s Men’s Shed
To start with, I went to Milton Community Woods to visit the Cromarty Firth Men's Shed on a delightfully sunny Wednesday morning. The site is made up of two log cabins, with the workshop in one and a community hub in the other, complete with a pool table, darts board, and a stove to keep things cosy. Discussions were held over a delicious breakfast, which is cooked onsite for attendees on Wednesday mornings. The workshop has a range of tools, including plenty of standard items but also a laser cutter and a 3D printer! I would recommend getting involved if you are local to the area – anyone over 18 is welcome and you can follow them on Facebook here.
Cromarty Community Garden
I then went to see the emerging Cromarty Community Garden and met with some of the organising team. This is a collaborative project from The Cromarty Development Trust, Cromarty Care Project, Cromarty Youth Café and Cromarty Community and District Café.
This was a great opportunity to see a project in its infancy, and the space is brimming with potential! Everyone is welcome to get involved and shape the future of the project.
The garden is sat behind Townlands Barn, which is already owned by the CCDT and also hosts the Cromarty Cares’ Larder. I was also lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the first community owned and run pop up sauna in the UK, owned by CCDT!
You can learn more about the Cromarty Grows project by contacting any of the involved groups, and they’ve got an article coming out in the next edition of the Black Isle Chatterbox!
Dunain Community Woodland
On my visit to the Dunain Community Woodland in Inverness, I had a fantastic day spent clearing gorse and bracken from around the Chambered Cairn with some of the trustees and members. Sometimes the best brainstorming can occur when you're working collectively on a physical task – plenty was discussed! Dunain Community Woodland are always looking for more volunteers, and are also actively looking for a Treasurer. Find out more on their website here.
Common Themes
Through these visits and conversations with other groups, some common themes have been emerging. One such theme is volunteer retention. Often, you might get a bunch of people signing up after a successful event – but getting them to engage after this can be difficult and time consuming. If you have any experience with recruiting and retaining volunteers and would like to share advice, ideas, or your own experiences, please get in touch by emailing me on aisling@hiclimatehub.co.uk.