North Mull Ranger Service Summer Update

News from the North

It has been a pretty busy month getting out and about around the island, the good weather has helped.

I had a session with George Watson’s School  from Edinburgh who were working towards their John Muir Award. We did a bit of path clearance so that geocaches could be accessed a bit easier.

A big pleasure and great fun was having Tobermory Primary School’s P1 and 2 in Aros Park, we played lots of running around games, built hedgehog houses and to end they all got involved in putting up small tents and then eating their hotdogs inside.

One very pleasant Thursday evening I accompanied the Scouts to Langamull Bay to do a beach clean and have a BBQ. Thank you for inviting me. Luckily Langamull had very little rubbish so less to carry back to the cars.

After being created locally the directional signage has now gone in on the Lighthouse Path, Tobermory and benches and picnic tables are starting to appear along the way.

Our events programme and what we have been up to can be followed  on our blog page: www.mullionarangerservice.com and we regularly post to Facebook at Mull and Iona Ranger

Jan Dunlop,

Countryside Ranger Manager,

 

Tel: 01680300640 or Mob: 07765898600. jan.dunlop@forestry.gsi.gov.uk;

News from Cian Burke-Brown, our Seasonal Ranger

As the sunshine continued throughout the island, the good weather also contributed towards some cracking events! We put on a real mix this month from boat trips with basking sharks to a less fruitful Fishnish walk. I took a group out on a walk through Fishnish hoping to find crossbills and wood warblers. We found neither but did get a close look at redpoll and a very friendly chaffinch.

The group stayed in good spirits, despite the lack of species, we instead turned our attention to the invertebrate life along the path and were graced with a variety of both damsel and dragon flies. I also joined Emily on the joint event with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. It was an amazing evening filled with lots of marine life, seabird surveys and a gorgeous sunset, what more could you want?

We also helped out at Treshnish’s farm open day. An interesting event learning all about the farm and the wildflowers it holds within. A lot of this was new to me, learning about the hybridising nature of orchid species. There were only a couple of buzzards and a flock of linnet on the walk, many of the other birds may have been put off by the size of our group.

Once we sat down for our delicious picnic, prepared by the wonderful Janette of Ballygown, we spotted a few harbour porpoise off the coast so set up the scope for everyone to have a look. A lovely end to a truly enjoyable day.

 

For further more information on the Mull and Iona Ranger Service visit mullionarangerservice.com.


Restoration of Walled Garden at Aros Park

On Sunday May 20th Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT) held an ideas gathering event for the Walled Garden in Aros Park. About 40 people came out to explore the garden and to talk about their memories or experiences of being in the garden over many years.

For some, the garden has always been abandoned, and yet it still forms part of their regular walk in the park. For others, they could remember playing in the garden when they were young, and some could remember details about how it once looked and for others, they simply didn’t know it was there at all.

Part of the exercise was to find out if visitors to the park wanted the walled garden restored, and thankfully all those who attended said that they would. Another aim for the afternoon was to find out ideas about what the garden could become once it is restored.

Ideas came from all sides, and all were very good. Whether some of them would ever be possible is questionable, but all the ideas were welcome, and these will be taken forward to the next community consultation meetings that will take place soon.

The garden is pretty big, 117metres long by 35metres wide, so it is quite a space. There are many well established trees in it, plus the foundations of buildings, and the original arched entrances. It’s neither flat nor rectangular so there could well be challenges ahead. From the ideas and comments from the event, most people would like to see a combination of spaces and functions being made available, i.e. not just a formal garden, or allotments, but a combination of two or three different functions. Whether this opinion changes from the subsequent consultation meetings remains to be seen, but this has been a tremendous start.

 

On Thursday 5th July there will be a further consultation session, this time drop in meetings to be held in the afternoon and evening at the Scout Hall in Tobermory. These sessions will be to capture new ideas, to develop further ideas from the last meeting and to start to form a Steering Group. There will be some draft designs on show, these are guides at best and nothing has yet been decided.

Background

When the Aros House Estate was sold in the late 1950’s to Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), the walled garden was not included in the sale. Since then, the garden has been left almost untouched. In 2017 the owner approached FCS to sell the garden. FCS purchased it, and then approached Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT) enquiring as to whether the community would be interested in purchasing it for restoration in whatever form they decide, within reason.

Historical Research

Research has been ongoing to find what the garden looked like before it was abandoned. This was more difficult than first expected, and even now the earliest record that has been found is from 1946. Searches of the local museum found nothing about the garden, although there was plenty of information on the “big house”. 

Contact was established with a direct descendant, who has been very helpful, and through her, we now have a small water colour painting of a corner of the garden, and a plan made from memory of the garden from around the 1950’s. Shortly after the event a photo from 1946 was loaned to the project. This was taken from some height above the garden, but still has sufficient detail to show large areas of the garden and how it was laid out. 

Ideas from the Event

• Restored to being a working garden as it was before
• If restored to being a formal garden it could be used as a wedding venue
• Formal garden with a performance space
• Feature garden for specimen plants e.g. Rhododendrons and Azaleas
• Part informal (low maintenance) garden and part allotments. Need to be aware of ongoing maintenance of the garden
• Informal garden with informal (not straight) paths running through it. (Prairie like)
• Sensory garden for a charity e.g. Mairi Curie daffodil garden
• Wellness and mindfulness garden
• Forest burials or memorial garden/wall. A memory garden with pictures/memories of deceased loved ones with some history of the person and where they lived on the island.
• Install a map of Mull where people could populate it with memories of people from specific areas of the island
• Pet Cemetery
• Tree house and platform for children & rope swing
• Picnic benches
• Café
• Create a maze (from 2 separate visitors)
• Men’s Sheds – where volunteers could look after the garden in exchange for a shed where they could meet

• Produce plots for what would effectively be market gardens where each plot tenant would then have a produce stall where the community could purchase what has been grown
• Plots for a community herb garden where community members could grow herbs for the benefit of the whole community. (submitted by three separate people)
• If the garden is restored as allotments then a community greenhouse will be needed
• Communal education garden for schools and groups
• Herb & produce garden run as a co-operative – work for a share of the output, rather than individual allotments
• Garden divided into plots for community groups, schools, and local businesses e.g. B&B’s. Each group would be responsible for their own patch. Would grow produce for their group or businesses, similar to the hotel gardens on Iona.
• Apple orchard with annual cider festival
• Community orchard, similar to what has been created at Dervaig


Child Protection Training

 

Argyll and Bute Child Protection Committee are offering “An Introduction to Child Protection Training 2018”. The training is free and open to people who work with children and families in a paid or voluntary role.

 

5th June 10am-3pm,

 

VC Mtg Room, Tobermory Council Building, Breadalbane Street

 

COURSE DETAILS:

This Introduction to child protection training is aimed at the wider workforce, who as part of their job, are likely to come into contact with children, young people and their families. It can also be used as a first step to further training in child protection.

This session is designed to help staff and volunteers identify child protection concerns and know how to respond to fulfil their shared responsibilities of protecting children and safeguarding their wellbeing.

By the end of this training participants will:

  • Understand what is meant by it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect children and know about the Getting It Right For Every Child approach.
  • Be able to identify possible risks and signs of child abuse and neglect
  • Know what to do if you are worried about a child or young person
  • Know when to seek appropriate support/supervision and where to look for this.

 

To BOOK A PLACE:

Please book online at http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/child-protection-training-programme or email cpctraining@argyll-bute.gov.uk. If you wish to discuss course content please contact Alex Honeyman, interagency trainer on 07833058953.


Ardura Forest

We are very excited to announce that we have started the formal process to purchase Ardura Forest. This is an amazing opportunity to do something a little differently with a strong focus on restoring the ancient woodlands that were replaced in the 1960’s by coniferous plantation. The photo below shows the old on the left and the plantation on the right…

Please feel free to send messages of support for the bid to mfinch@mict.co.uk

We’ve set up a page on our website where you can keep up to date with all the latest information.


Mull Eagle Watch 2018

Mull Eagle Watch – 2018 season information

Mull Eagle Watch is open April to September 2018.

Where are we: We are at a new base this year and are being hosted by Craignure Golf Club (NM704384) on the outskirts of the village of Craignure (just over a mile from the Craignure ferry terminal). On booking you will be given more details about where and when to meet.

Booking: Booking is essential. Bookings and further information can be obtained from Visit Scotland at Craignure and by phone on 01680 812556. Each trip lasts about one and a half hours. Trips will run at 11am and 2pm, Sunday – Friday (closed on Saturdays)

Price: Adult tickets (including RSPB members) cost £8. If you’re under 16, your ticket costs £4. A family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) costs £20. If you live on Mull, it’s free. Please pay the ranger on the day by cash or cheque (‘Mull & Iona Community Trust’). Sorry, we don’t have a card machine at the moment.

What should I bring:Wet weather gear is best (just in case) as are practical shoes as the trip involves a short walk along the edge of the golf course.

Extra info: toilets and refreshments available on site. Dogs welcome on trips.

Mull Eagle Watch is brought to you with the help of Forestry Commission Scotland, Mull and Iona Community Trust, Police Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB Scotland Craignure Golf Club, the local community and volunteers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mull birds 2

Winners of the 2016 Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards for ‘Innovation in Tourism’

Follow our blog – www.mulleaglewatch.com

Keep up with out tweets @mulleaglewatch

Follow us on facebook.com/mulleaglewatch

Read about us on the Green Tourism website.

 mew awards


Storage units available

We have several storage containers available for short and long term rental in Craignure, with immediate entry. Please give us a call in the office if you’re interested. 01680 812900