Covenant clears the way for community keen on conservation

December 12, 2016

Thanks to £110,000 of funding from the Armed Forces Covenant, the strong backs of soldiers from 3 Rifles and the energy and enthusiasm of local volunteers including school children, the woodland paths through Hunters Tryst have never looked better.

Working together on the project spearheaded by the Edinburgh and Lothian Greenspace Trust, troops and civilians from the Dreghorn and Colinton areas of south Edinburgh have been transforming the precious urban woodland on their doorsteps.

The network of paths and greenspaces running through Hunters Tryst that connect a series of parks, woods and open spaces had become neglected and were sadly in need of a spruce up.

But with a drop of sweat and community can – do spirit, the volunteers got to work, removing skip loads of rubbish, planting thousands of bulbs and improving things for everyone in the neighbourhood.

Second Lieutenant Charlie Davis of 3 Rifles based at Dreghorn Barracks said, “It’s about giving something back, we are part of this community, so we need to play our part improving the local area. And it already looks a lot better, and we will all really benefit.”

Pupils from nearby Colinton primary school who have been eagerly beavering away on the project are proud of what they have achieved, and are learning new things because of their involvement.

Teacher Jenni Hume said, “It’s absolutely brilliant, it has helped the children develop a sense of importance of the woods where they live. They are learning how to work as a group and they’re developing new skills. And they are learning about the excitement of being outdoors.”