A volunteering project in West Lothian has been awarded £6,050 from Central Scotland Forest Trust (CSFT) to deliver a programme of works which supports volunteering activity in the area.
Murieston Environmental Group (MEG) is one of three projects benefiting from a grant of up to £6,500 this year from the environmental charity’s Community Volunteer Fund.
MEG received the funding for its Campbridge Park Restoration project which aims to purchase and plant native trees, and carry out under planting to increase the variety of tree age in the park and limit the effects of the chalara dieback of ash disease.
The project will also create an avenue of fruit trees down to the pond to improve biodiversity and provide an orchard teaching resource and will purchase woodland plants to enhance the woodland floor. Finally path improvement works will be carried out to increase access and safety.
Now in its fourth year, the £18,500 Community Volunteer Fund offers essential support to organisations which aim to improve their local environment and increase volunteering opportunities in the Central Scotland Forest (CSF) area.
Simon Rennie, Chief Executive of CSFT, said:- “Our founding ethos is to improve the lives of the people within the Forest area and we welcome volunteering projects which link to our priorities of creating a better environment, enhancing quality of life, conserving and contributing to cultural heritage and contemporary culture and tackling disadvantage and exclusion.
“This year we have awarded £18,500 to support three organisations in delivering volunteering projects on the ground and we hope that this funding will help them make a real difference in their local communities.
Jonathan Louis, MEG Committee and the Residents of Murieston, said: “It has been a great year for MEG, receiving the funding from CSFT to take care of our woodland and to improve it for future generations.
“The community has come out in force to support our group and take care of the area we live in. It has been truly inspiring working with everyone which was made possible with the help of the grant CSFT provided us. The community of Murieston and the volunteers of MEG can’t thank CSFT enough for its generous contribution.”
The CSFT Community Volunteer Fund was open to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations with experience in developing, delivering and sustaining volunteering programmes within the CSF boundary.
The other groups which received funding from the CSFT Community Volunteer Fund this year include Twechar Community Action in East Dunbartonshire and RSPB in North Lanarkshire.
The 2012 / 2013 fund is now closed for applications.
Submitted by Central Scotland Forest Trust
