Scotland’s towns and cities are getting greener with £740,000 awarded to 13 community-led projects

From football pitches to future forests: 13 projects backed by Urban Forestry Challenge Fund

  • In just two years, the Urban Forestry Challenge Fund has awarded £1,360,000 across 25 projects, bringing the benefits of trees to communities from Aberdeen to Dumfries

The latest round of funding will see £740,000 invested in 13 projects through the Urban Forestry Programme’s Challenge Fund. The programme is a partnership initiative between Future Woodlands Scotland and JERA Nex bp.

Recipients include Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT), for their Urban Street Trees Canopy Custodians proramme, and Edible Estates, for their South West Edinburgh Urban Woodlands project.

The fund supports projects that create, enhance and expand urban woodlands, helping to make Scotland’s towns and cities greener, healthier and more resilient places to live. The 2026 awards span communities across the country, backing initiatives that aim to improve biodiversity, strengthen climate change resilience and bring more people into contact with nature in the places they live, work and play.

Since the first projects were funded in 2025, £1,360,000 has been invested, over 6,500 trees have been planted, engaging more than 320 volunteers, and four new urban forestry jobs have been created. 

Among the projects awarded funding this year is FEL Scotland’s ‘Trees for Goals’, which will receive £94,500 to support community sports clubs to plant and care for trees in and around their grounds.

The simple but powerful scheme began as a pilot with grassroots football team Alloa Saints where a tree was planted for every goal scored throughout the season. Enough goals were scored to plant around 2,000 trees, helping connect sport with practical environmental action. The programme has grown to include 16 clubs across Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling.

Clara Walker, Executive Director at FEL Scotland, said: “This funding enables us to plant trees where they’ll make the biggest difference, strengthening communities, improving local environments and inspiring climate action through the power of sport. By working with a range of local partners, we can grow greener neighbourhoods and ensure the impact makes a difference now and lasts well into the future.”

Trees for Goals focuses on communities with low tree cover and poor tree equity, helping to bring the benefits of urban woodland to areas where it is needed most. As well as increasing tree cover, the project is designed to leave a legacy by embedding tree care into regular club activity, ensuring that young people and volunteers continue to nurture the spaces they have helped create.

Trees for Goals is one of a wide range of projects supported through the 2026 Urban Forestry Fund, reflecting the diversity of community-led urban greening taking place across Scotland.

Other successful projects in this year’s funding round include Dumfries LIFT’s NANA’s Garden, which was awarded £18,000 to plant native and fruit trees in Lochside while helping local children and families learn more about biodiversity and climate change resilience.

In Dundee, Maxwell Community Centre and Garden’s Dundee Food Forests: The Big Grow is to receive £67,600 to work with community groups and schools to create 25 biodiverse food forests in areas with the greatest tree inequity.

Meanwhile in Aberdeen, Social Juice CIC’s Silver City Trees will receive £20,000 to plant 200 fruit and native trees in priority neighbourhoods, combining greener spaces with practical community skills development.

Des Hackett, Urban Forestry Programme Manager at Future Woodlands Scotland said: “The second year of projects to receive Urban Forestry Challenge Funding demonstrates the growing ambition and creativity of organisations across Scotland to make our urban areas greener and healthier.

“From community sports grounds to neighbourhood woodlands, the 13 projects show how local action can deliver long-term benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity and wellbeing.”

A total of 29 applications were submitted this year, across two competitive grant categories: projects ranging from £2,000 to £20,000, and those ranging from £20,000 to £100,000. 

Projects were chosen based on the contribution they could make to the Urban Forestry goal of helping towns and cities across Scotland achieve the 3:30:300 rule: everyone should see three trees from their home; every neighbourhood should have 30% tree canopy and quality green space within 300 metres.

JERA Nex bp’s Thomas Hudson, Morven Project Director, added: “These projects demonstrate the power of community-led action to create lasting environmental change.

“Through the Urban Forestry Challenge Fund, we are supporting initiatives that not only increase tree cover, but also bring people together, build skills and create greener, more resilient neighbourhoods across Scotland.”

Applications for both categories of Urban Forestry Challenge Fund grants will reopen in Autumn. More information on the Urban Forestry programme is available at www.futurewoodlands.org.uk

2026 Urban Forestry Challenge Fund awards

SMALL GRANTS – up to £20,000

  • LIFT Dumfries
    NANA’s Garden: Growing Trees, Skills and Community in Lochside
    A community-led greening project in Lochside that will plant native and fruit trees while engaging local children and families in biodiversity, climate resilience and long-term tree care.
  • CLEAR, Buckhaven and Methil, Fife 

Trees, Bees and Fruit
This project will plant fruit trees in gardens, create community orchards and establish new native woodland, alongside resident-led learning in pruning, grafting and tree care.

  • Kirkton Community Centre, Dundee

Keswick Terrace Greenspace Development
New trees and shrubs will transform local greenspace into a more welcoming, wildlife-friendly area while helping absorb rainfall and reduce local flood risk.

  • Social Juice CIC, Aberdeen
    Silver City Trees
    Working in priority neighbourhoods, this project will plant 200 fruit and native trees while helping communities build skills and greener local spaces.

LARGE GRANTS – £20,000-£100,000

  • Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust, Edinburgh
    Urban Street Trees Canopy Custodians
    A community-led street tree programme that will replace trees in vacant pits and grass verges in low tree equity areas, creating a model that can be replicated city-wide.
  • West Lothian Council, West Lothian
    Trees and Woodlands in the West
    Focused on former mining communities, this project will identify new planting opportunities and work with residents and schools to increase canopy cover in tree-depleted neighbourhoods.
  • FEL Scotland, Forth Climate Forest Area
    Trees for Goals
    A practical project supporting community sports clubs to plant and care for trees around their grounds, using football as an accessible route into climate action and biodiversity.
  • Natural Connections, Tranent, East Lothian
    Tranent Tree Town
    A three-year community planting project that will help local people grow, plant and care for trees in one of East Lothian’s lowest tree equity areas.
  • Maxwell Community Centre and Garden, Dundee
    Dundee Food Forests: The Big Grow!
    Working with community groups, schools and gardens, this project will create 25 biodiverse food forests across Dundee in areas of greatest tree inequity.
  • The Orchard Project – Glasgow and Inverclyde
    Orchard Commons: Planting and Stewardship for Resilient Edible Treescapes
    A community-led orchard planting programme that will increase canopy cover in low-canopy neighbourhoods while building long-term local stewardship and skills.
  • South Lanarkshire Council – South Lanarkshire
    Improving Tree Equity in South Lanarkshire’s Lowest-Scoring Urban Areas
    Using Community Payback teams, the council will plant 450 standard trees in low-scoring urban areas to deliver lasting environmental and social benefits.
  • Edible Estates, South West Edinburgh
    South West Edinburgh Urban Woodlands
    A community-led woodland project across four council estates that combines tree planting, training and local partnerships to create healthier, climate-resilient neighbourhoods.
  • Details of one further project will be confirmed once contractual arrangements are complete.

Replacement shuttle bus service between Davidson’s Mains and Cramond to run from today

A shuttle bus service will run daily from Tuesday 21 April to connect Davidson’s Mains and Cramond while the 47 bus is out of service on that section of the route.

– Shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes starting from the Tesco in Davidson’s Mains.

– They will run daily from 7am – 7pm.

– They will travel on a loop between Tesco at Davidson’s Mains, along Cramond Road South, Gamekeeper’s Road, and Cramond Road North. We expect the full loop to take around 15 minutes subject to traffic.

– The buses will stop at all bus stops that are usually serviced by the 47 bus along that section of the route.

– Each bus can hold up to 16 people.

There is also a replacement bus service between Cammo and Cramond.

More information is available on our website: ww.edinburgh.gov.uk/davidsonsmains

Loyal donors power Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home as daily costs surpass £7,000

As charities across the UK face increasing financial pressure and a decline in overall donations, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home is thanking its community of regular donors whose ongoing support is helping transform the lives of pets and their owners.

Today, 3,044 regular donors collectively fund approximately one sixth of the charity’s work and aid in ensuring animals receive the care they need all year round.

With rising energy and operational costs placing growing pressure on animal welfare charities, the Home is highlighting the vital role that consistent, monthly donations play in keeping its doors open. It costs around £7,000 per day to run the Home, which receives no government funding and relies almost entirely on the generosity of the public.

Amelia Morgan, CEO at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, said: “Regular giving allows us to plan for the future and ensure these wonderful animals receive the highest quality of care all year round, no matter what.

“We are endlessly grateful for the continuing support of our regular donors who help us be there for dogs and cats who need us.”

Even small monthly donations have a direct impact, from helping provide food for growing kittens and puppies, to covering essential treatments, specialist diets, and dedicated behavioural training to help dogs thrive.

That ongoing support is what enables the charity to make rehoming stories like Hamish’s possible.

Hamish, an anxious collie, spent almost a year in the Home’s care after struggling to trust new people. The team worked patiently to build his confidence, knowing it would take time for him to truly come out of his shell and find the right person for Hamish.

That moment came when he met his new owner Paul. Visit by visit, trust began to grow, until Hamish was ready to take the next step. Today, he is thriving, full of life, loyal and enjoying the loving home he deserves.

Hamish’s journey is just one example of the impact regular donations make every day. In 2025 alone, the Home accepted 343 animals, rehomed or reunited 318 pets, and provided more than 636,000 meals through community food banks, support that met only half of the demand seen across the region.

As demand continues to grow, the charity says regular giving will play an increasingly important role in ensuring it can continue to support pets and their owners through challenging times.

Amelia added: “Every single regular donation helps us be there for animals like Hamish and the thousands more who need us each year.

“To everyone who already supports us, thank you. You are making a real and lasting difference every single day.”

To donate to the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, please visit:

https://edch.org.uk/donate/

  • £5 Could help pay for nourishing food to help a kitten or puppy to grow
  • £10 Could help pay for flea, worming, and parasite treatment for a new dog or cat on arrival.
  • £20 Could help pay for special dietary food for pets who need specialised care.

Scottish Street Food Awards 2026 Shortlist Announced

We’re excited to reveal the shortlisted finalists for the Scottish Street Food Awards 2026, returning to The Pitt this year. All eleven will be serving up at The Pitt from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd May.

The Champions award will be judged by a team of foodie experts, with the People’s Choice chosen by the public over the course of the weekend. The winners will be announced at 3pm on Sunday, 3 May, and will go on to compete in the British Street Food Awards later in the year.

This year’s line-up is a celebration of creativity, culture and craft – a group of traders bringing personal stories, bold ideas and serious flavour to Scotland’s street food scene. 

Meet the finalists:

Brocail is a food trailer focused on reimagined, seasonal dishes using local Scottish and UK produce. Born from a community allotment project and seasonal supper clubs, their menu continues to celebrate fresh, nutritious food with a low-impact ethos. For the awards, they’ll showcase homemade paneer using Jersey cow milk from The Wee Dairy in Perthshire, with dishes like Paneer Kofta highlighting both the quality of the produce and creative use of its whey by-product. Follow on instagram.

D & N Sushi: A family-run business based in Moray, D&N Sushi is reimagining what sushi can be in a street food setting. Their signature Sushi-Dog swaps out the traditional bun for crispy panko-coated sushi rice, filled with bold ingredients like salmon, prawn, crab or chicken and finished with their own sauces. It’s creative, unexpected and designed to surprise – a fresh take on Japanese-inspired street food that’s as eye-catching as it is delicious. Follow on instagram.

Eat Ko:te is built on a simple philosophy: fire, smoke, salt and time create the richest flavours. Inspired by traditional charcoal cooking, the business operates with a rare combination of a Josper oven and Kasai grill – a setup almost unheard of in a street food trailer. From smoky grilled meats to scallops cooked over intense heat with garlic butter and crispy panko, every dish reflects both technical skill and a deep personal connection to the ingredients. Follow on instagram.

Ember: Based in Fife, Ember is a premium live-fire food concept built around a custom 20ft container kitchen designed specifically for wood and charcoal cooking. Their approach bridges the gap between restaurant-quality dining and street food accessibility, with a menu centred on panuozzo, premium burgers and grilled meats and vegetables. Every dish is driven by fire – creating bold, smoky flavours that showcase both technique and high-quality produce. Follow on instagram.

Far Out Bao: is a deeply personal concept rooted in Filipino heritage and inspired by the bold, balanced flavours of Hawaii. Created from a love of comforting, expressive food, the menu centres around soft, pillowy bao buns filled with sweet, salty, tangy and smoky elements. It’s a concept that blends cultural influence with storytelling – bringing a taste of the Pacific to Scotland’s street food scene in a way that feels both joyful and unexpected. Follow on instagram.

Hungarian Chimney Cake (Tekerch): Bringing a taste of Hungarian tradition to Edinburgh, Tekerch Chimney Cake combines food and theatre in equal measure. Each chimney cake is rolled, baked and caramelised fresh in front of customers, creating a sensory experience that’s as memorable as the taste itself. Crisp on the outside, soft within and finished with a range of sweet toppings, their offering blends nostalgia, craftsmanship and visual appeal – a true street food experience. Follow on instagram.

Jamie’s Backyard Slice: Rooted in Scottish food culture and personal memory, Jamie’s Backyard Slice takes the classic pizza crunch and elevates it with quality ingredients and attention to detail. Using a quarter pizza, dipped in Tennent’s lager batter and deep fried, each portion is finished with parmesan, oregano and hot honey. It’s a dish that taps into nostalgia – from school lunches to late-night chippy runs – while delivering something bigger, bolder and more refined. Follow on instagram.

Naughty Boi Smashburgers: Born from years spent working in food trucks across Scotland, Naughty Boi is the result of a shared obsession with doing smash burgers properly. After countless test runs (with friends as willing guinea pigs), the team launched their own concept – focused on quality Scottish beef, locally sourced buns and flavours that don’t get lost. Still relatively new, but backed by serious experience, Naughty Boi delivers crispy-edged, flavour-packed burgers that reflect both craft and personality. Follow on instagram.

The Peruvian brings bold, authentic flavours straight from Peru, serving the dishes the founder grew up eating – big, vibrant and unapologetically full of flavour. From classics like Lomo Saltado to tequeños, wings and salchipapas, it’s proper hands-on street food. Now evolving beyond the classics, the menu is expanding to include rotisserie chicken, smoked meats, arroz chaufa and a range of traditional sauces – from aji amarillo to rocoto – putting real Peruvian food front and centre. Follow on instagram.

Pinko’s Korean Street Food: Travelling across Scotland from market to market, Pinko’s Korean Street Food has built its reputation on bold, authentic flavours and a clear passion for sharing Korean food culture. Cooking everything fresh on-site, their menu spans crispy Korean fried chicken, corndogs, tteokbokki and award-winning kimchi. At the heart of it all is their signature Seoul Combo Cupbap – a flavour-packed rice bowl combining double-fried chicken, Aberdeen Angus beef bulgogi and punchy pickles. It’s street food rooted in tradition, delivered with energy and precision. Follow on instagram.

Spoon Me: Spoon Me is Scotland’s first banana pudding parlour – and a business built on both nostalgia and innovation. Inspired by classic American recipes but reimagined to be entirely gluten- and dairy-free, everything is made from scratch, right down to the wafers.

From the original vanilla pudding to their standout caramelised banana tiramisu, Spoon Me has developed a cult following, with customers (including visiting Americans) claiming it rivals – or even beats – the original. It’s comfort food with a modern, inclusive twist. Follow on instagram.

Get the dates in your diary and head down to The Pitt and sample the best Scotland has to offer!

ARDEER: Anger as potential Site of Special Scientific Interest sand dunes are destroyed

Wildlife experts have been left devastated by the continued intentional destruction of dune habitat on the Ardeer Peninsula in Ayrshire by its landowners – despite the dunes being ear-marked as part of a potential Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Local community groups and national wildlife organisations called on Scottish Government agency NatureScot to designate the special habitats of the Ardeer Peninsula as part of a Garnock Estuary SSSI back in 2022, building on a long-running local campaign to protect its wildlife.

As it stands, much of the Ardeer Peninsula remains under threat from a Special Development Order dating back to 1953 which removes the requirements for planning permission that are needed almost anywhere else in Scotland. 

In a welcomed move, NatureScot has been reviewing the potential boundaries for a SSSI in recent years, a vital step towards protecting its mosaic of dunes, grassland, woodlands, scrub and wetlands

However, the local community has reported that despite NatureScot engaging with landowners about the potential designation, precious and irreplaceable sand dune habitat continues to be subject to sand extraction and further degradation through the dumping of soils, while large areas of biodiverse woodland have also been cleared.

Roger Hissett from the Ardeer Action Group said, “After more than a decade of campaigning by local naturalists it is tragic to see a developer determined to destroy the special and rare habitats and wildlife of this part of the Ardeer Peninsula. 

“It is so sad that this attitude still persists into the 21st century just when the area is being considered for protection for the benefit of future generations.” 

Rebecca Lewis, Buglife Scotland and Northern Ireland Manager said, “The Ardeer Peninsula has an important role to play in supporting the Scottish Government’s commitment to reversing biodiversity loss and NatureScot’s strategic goal of protecting 30% of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030.

“We are delighted that NatureScot agree that it is worthy of consideration for SSSI notification, but the ongoing activity is a blow to the integrity of this nationally important wildlife site- which has been called Scotland’s best site for bees.”

It is hoped that some of the damage that has taken place could be reversed with appropriate management and funding. The Garnock Estuary, which includes the Ardeer Peninsula in Stevenston and Garnock East in Irvine, is a unique mosaic of dunes, grassland, woodlands, scrub and wetlands.

Although it has been modified by the site’s complex industrial past, it remains an incomparable haven for wildlife, including species that have been lost across much of the landscape.

It is home to over 1,000 invertebrate species, including at least 99 of conservation concern and some found nowhere else in Scotland. The estuary is one of the most important breeding bird populations on the Lower Clyde coast and supports at least 46 rare plants, including endemic sub-species and those for which Scotland has an international responsibility.

PICTURES: IAIN HAMLIN

RoSPA: Take Action Today

Thousands of children each year end up in hospital through accidental poisoning. But in Take Action Today areas, emergency admissions for under-fives have dropped by almost 50% since 2013.

Take Action Today helps parents keep their young children safe from accidental poisoning through free safety resources, checklists and fact sheets.

Join the 1 million families who have benefited from Take Action Today – access free safety resources at www.rospa.com/home-safety/household-cleaning-products

#TakeActionToday

#HouseholdSafety

#HomeSafetyAdvice

Genetic mutation focus on new cancer study

Researchers search for way to stop bowel cancer growing

SCIENTISTS in Glasgow are launching a new Cancer Research UK-funded project to find a way to stop bowel cancer cells hijacking the body.

The team, based at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in the city, will focus on a particular system inside the human body, called the Wnt pathway – a key messaging system controlling growth.

A specific genetic mutation can cause this system to tell cells to grow and produce new cancer cells out of control.

The cancer cells then hijack the pathway and prevent it from growing healthy cells, effectively starving the body of healthy growth.  This can eventually lead to the growth of tumours in the lining of the bowel.

Dr Nadia Nasreddin, researcher at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Professor Sansom’s group, said: “We hope to find a way to help healthy cells fight the mutant cell colonisation of the bowel lining, by using drugs that can promote healthy cell growth.

“If we boost the Wnt pathway in normal cells, we can improve their health, restore their capacity to divide and produce new healthy cells, and reduce the ability of cancer cells to grow in the bowel.”

With funding of £357,759 from Cancer Research UK, the project will help tackle bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK.*

Treatment options for bowel cancer remain limited, particularly for patients who are diagnosed at later stages of the disease, making the search for new therapies vital. Scotland is disproportionately affected by the disease with around 4,000 people diagnosed each year. **

Bowel cancer is caused by changes in the DNA (called mutations) in important cells in the intestine called intestinal stem cells.

These cells maintain the intestine’s lining by constantly dividing to replace old or worn-out cells with healthy new ones. These cells live within a specific environment, characterised by high activity of the Wnt pathway.

Eighty per cent of colon cancer cases are caused by mutations in a particular gene which is responsible for controlling the Wnt pathway environment and can be inherited.

When this mutation occurs, it creates a very high Wnt environment which results in the cell’s dividing and producing new cells faster than normal.

It also produces a molecule that deprives normal cells of their Wnt environment causing normal intestinal stem cells to stop dividing and producing new ones.

This results in mutant cells in the lining of the intestine that, over time, replace the normal cells eventually forming into a tumour.

The team will test four different molecules to determine which best supports the health of normal intestinal stem cells in mouse models.

Researchers will further develop any which show a clear benefit to survival into drugs for human use.

Science engagement lead at Cancer Research UK, Sam Godfrey, said: “We are delighted to fund this exciting research project which looks at the beginnings of cancer and seeks ways to prevent it developing.

“Harnessing our own body’s power to support healthy growth and halt the excessive growth which results in tumours could lead to the kind of breakthrough which transforms the way we see, and treat, bowel cancer.”

Bowel cancer kills 16,800 people in the UK (1,700 in Scotland) every year and is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people.*

A recent study by the American Cancer Society published in The Lancet Oncology showed early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied and are rising faster in young women in Scotland and England than in young men.**

Fet Lor’s back: Boxing on What’s New Wednesdays

Our clubs are back this week, with an exciting new addition to our What’s New Wednesday!

We will be running a 4-week boxing programme in partnership with BLAST Boxing at Fetlor for P6+.

To sign up, please fill in the link below:

https://forms.gle/74PgHF2u3nj6sma76

TONIGHT: Last chance to register to vote in Holyrood Elections

Time is running out for voters to register to have their say in the Scottish Parliament election on Thursday 7 May, with the deadline for registrations at 11.59pm TONIGHT. 

Registering takes minutes and can be done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. All voters need is a name, address, and National Insurance number. 

Those who are already registered will have received a poll card, which tells them where and when to vote. 

Cahir Hughes, Acting Head of the Electoral Commission Scotland, said: “We want everyone to be able to have their say in this election, but first they need to be registered to vote.  

“If you’re voting for the first time, have moved house, or changed any of your details, it’s especially important that you register online before the deadline tonight. 

“It takes just five minutes and all you need is your name, address, and National Insurance number. You can do it now at gov.uk/register-to-vote. 

“If you want to vote by post or by proxy, you still have time to apply, but you’ll need to be registered to vote first. Anyone not registered in time won’t be able to vote on Thursday 7 May. 

“Once you’re registered, the deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5.00pm on Tuesday 21 April and the deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5.00pm on Tuesday 28 April.” 

Looking Ahead to Carers Week

CARERS TRUST are proud to be supporting #CarersWeek 2026!

This year’s theme is Building Carer Friendly Communities and from 8-14 June we’ll explore how to build communities that make a real and lasting difference to the lives of carers.

http://carersweek.org