Projects – Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust

Water of Leith Path Upgrade

Improved access along a strategic route to enable people of all abilities to be more active.

The Water of Leith walkway is much-loved route for people walking, wheeling and cycling but as a regular user I know it can be muddy and less accessible in places. These upgrades will be transformative, helping even more people to enjoy the path as part of our excellent network of off-road routes spanning the city or perhaps just to visit the fantastic Colinton Tunnel mural. Once the walkway improvements are complete, lighting will be installed on the Spylaw Park section by the Council’s Parks and Green space team to encourage people in west Colinton to use this walking route into the village. Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport & Environment Convenor of the City of Edinburgh Council

Funded by: Sustrans, Transport Scotland

Outputs:

Upgrade a 8km section of path along the NCN 75 in south west Edinburgh
Drainage works

Outcomes:

enable people of all abilities to use the path.
provide a safe surface all year round.
encourage people to be more active.

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Nature Restoration Projects

Restoration urban grasslands to improve local biodiversity and help tackle the impacts of climate change

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Funded by: NatureScot, City of Edinburgh Council

Outputs:

Grassland – Species richness targeting has been located on parts of the site that are likely to have lower fertility and more free-draining soils. Diversifying the current mostly rank grassland will complement the meadows across the area and add to the network that links. The aim would be to establish a higher species-richness using the Urban Pollinator seed mix developed by Scotia Seeds in a total area of 6.9ha of grassland.
Hedging – Enhancing the species and structural diversity of remnant hedges through planting and introducing a low maintenance regime. The objective is to create a well-structured hedge with a total length of 298 metres with a variety of habitat niches for a wide range of invertebrate species and food sources, and shelter for birds and small mammals.
Individual Specimen Tree Planting – Planting of 10 standard trees within grassland settings.
Wetland – The creation of a new burn section 280m long and a wetland approximately 60m by 50m. The banks are planted with iris and meadowsweet, and brooklime, marsh marigold and water forget-me-not will grow in the burn. The spoil is used to create low banks which are great for growing tansy and mugwort.

Outcomes:

Improve the biodiversity of urban grasslands
Provide habitats for wildlife
Improve the appearance of urban greenspaces
Provide communities with the opportunity to help tackle the nature and climate emergency

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Figgate Park Greenspace Improvements

New greenspace improvements to Figgate Park.

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Funded by: FCC Community Foundation, City of Edinburgh Council, Cruyff Foundation, Mushroom Trust

Outputs:

6 new pieces of play equipment including a play unit for toddlers and an assault course for older children.
2 pieces of all ability play equipment
A new MUGA
3 new picnic tables
1 new all inclusive picnic table
2 new benches
A 164 m2 new safer rubber surface
180 new scrubs

Outcomes:

Increased use of outdoor play for children of all abilities
Increased use of sport for young people
Less antisocial behaviour
Improved appearance of the local greenspace
Improved biodiversity

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Burnshot Bridge Greenspace Improvements

Improved greenspace and biodiversity

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Funded by: City of Edinburgh Council

Outputs:

Access improvement works
Tree planting
1,350m2 of wildflower meadow

Outcomes:

Benefits to wildlife and biodiversity
Foster a greater sense of community pride
Improved green networks and connectivity
A visible aesthetic improvement to the landscape

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Woodland Activities with Schools

Outdoor activities with schools to help them become more aware of their local environment and improve their wellbeing

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Teaching staff have commented that some of the young people have enjoyed being outside and learning about their local nature.

Funded by: City of Edinburgh Council- Children & Families

Outputs:

Worked with Pilrig Special school to deliver a programme of 6 outdoor activities
Involved working with 10 young people with special needs

Outcomes:

Enable young people to interact with nature
Encouraging young people to learn about their local greenspaces and wildlife
Increase the confidence of teachers to develop more regular outdoor activities

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Creation of small woodlands in urban areas to improve local biodiversity and help tackle the impacts of climate change; as well as providing opportunities for people living in local communities to connect with nature.

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Getting communities involved in citizen science where they live is a vital step in understanding and solving our planet’s environmental crises – with Wee Forests, communities can collect the data we need on their doorstep. Steve Andrews, CEO, Earthwatch Europe

Funded by: NatureScot

Outputs:

Identify sites for Wee Forest Creation
Create Wee Forests in Edinburgh & the Lothians
600 trees are planted densely in a tennis-court size plot with additional space allocated for an outdoor classroom or other community space
Work with schools to run outdoor activities
Help attract over 500 animal and plant species within the first 3 year
4-6 volunteers per forest act as a Tree Keeper Team to act as the forest ambassadors and support with maintenance
Each forest is expected to engage up to 50 volunteers on planting and monitoring days
Environmental and social data will be collected for every forest planted for up to 10 years and will be made available on an open source basis through Earthwatch’s data platform. This will help us assess the benefits they provide over time.

Outcomes:

Help raise awareness of the key role woodlands play in supporting wildlife and increasing our resilience to climate change.
Help people connect with nature close to home. To give young people the chance to plant and look after their own forest in their own neighbourhood.
Help neighbourhoods become nature-rich and more resilient to climate change.
Provide communities with the opportunity to help tackle the nature and climate emergency and contribute to Scotland’s tree planting targets.

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Community Link Worker

Provides social prescribing to help people improve their health & wellbeing

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Funded by: Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership

Outputs:

Keeping up-to-date with what’s happening both locally and city wide, sharing with the wider team when appropriate
Highlighting gaps in services
Providing 4-6 sessions per patient
Providing feedback, case studies and stats
Attend CLW Locality Team meeting
Providing appropriate and timely interventions

Outcomes:

Encourage people to lead healthier active lives through participating in physical activities for all abilities in their local greenspaces to help improve their self-esteem.
Enabling participants to link up with local community groups so they can continue to participate sustainably
Develop relationships with patients/clients and support engagement with services and activities to promote the development of individual resilience and ability to self-manage
Build a good relationship with lead GP to monitor how the service is going.
Networking, building and strengthen relations with community organisations, services and groups.

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Wisp Park Biodiversity Improvements

Deliver biodiversity improvements for a new park at the Wisp in Midlothian helping to create green corridors between the city to the surrounding countryside.

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Funded by: NatureScot, Shawfair LLP

Outputs:

Making more space for native flower rich habitats and grassland through the creation of a 67,981m2 wildflower meadow
Extended 460m of hedging and field margins with 23 native trees. Planting 48 individual standard trees
Create 2 x 25m patches of scrub to provide a habitat for thicket nesting birds.
Planting 10,000 native bulb planting by volunteers
Creation of 2 (2m) bee bank area by volunteers.
Install 15 Square Metre Butterfly planters with local volunteers.

Outcomes:

Halt the decline of pollinators and increase habitats for mammals and birds.
Supporting changes in management to favour diversity of species and habitat structure at a landscape level.
Adopt nature-based approaches to managing key ecosystems.
Enhance, native woods, wildflower meadows, green infrastructure, verges and green corridors in urban areas to provide a range of benefits for biodiversity.
Provide an enhanced green network that provide functional and visible links through and between town and country, allowing nature to move easily between the two.
Help neighbourhoods adapt to climate change.
Invest in green skills for people from deprived communities.
Help tackle the blight of vacant and derelict land.

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Spaces for People

Improving people’s health through active travel

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A big thank you to @greenspacetrust @ELHFfunds @IanMack202 @Edinburgh_CC and @SustransScot for making our #BeBrightBeSeen event a success at today's #WellbeingWednesday! We are dedicated to keeping our staff safe on their commutes this winter! NHS Lothian

Funded by: Edinburgh & Lothian Health Foundation, Sustrans

Outputs:

106 people attended 8 online Dr Bike sessions
Be Bright, Be Seen (BBBS) (City of Edinburgh Council campaign) freebies given to 2 hospitals (RIE and WGH) along with promotion of the campaign
3,000 active travel guides created for ELCH and WGH
20 people got their bike marked at the RIE and WGH bike marking event
8 people have attended the in-person Essential Cycling Skills session at the Western General Hospital. Three other hospitals are due to have their session in May and June.
Promotion of Just Eat’s 4-week cycle hire scheme and Sustrans’ Active Commute Club
Assistance in the creation of a Bicycle User Group at the ELCH.

Outcomes:

Encouraging active travel at NHS sites
NHS community engagement
Improve mental and physical wellbeing
People learning new skills

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Leith Links Arboretum

In collaboration with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and City of Edinburgh Council, Leith Links will be growing tree species from across the globe as part of the effort to conserve them.

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Funded by: City of Edinburgh, Mushroom Trust

Outputs:

Run a consultation with the local community
Plant a variety of 84 trees
Provide conservation information about the trees

Outcomes:

Improved biodiversity of the park
Improved appearance of the park
Help conserve rare trees
Increase the knowledge on the benefits of trees

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