Thirty-four Edinburgh parks and greenspaces have been recognised as among the best in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Tag: green spaces
Is your neighbourhood made for walking?
- Ramblers launches search for Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood
- Call for people in Scotland to nominate their neighbourhood
The Ramblers organisation is calling on people in Scotland to nominate their area for Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood Award. The walking charity is searching for the places that put pedestrians first and lead the way in enabling residents to walk every day for transport or leisure.
Now in its second year, Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood Award celebrates local authorities, developers, individuals and communities that have made positive changes to help make neighbourhoods more walkable – from making routes and public spaces greener, to building mixed-use developments that encourage active travel, to improving the way local streets connect people to the places they want to go.
Vanessa Griffiths, Ramblers chief executive, said: “We have a vision of a country designed for walking, in the open countryside, and close to where we all live and work.
“By making it easy for people to walk their everyday local journeys, we help them live more active, healthier lives. Not only that, we help tackle some of society’s biggest problems including growing levels of obesity, social isolation, congestion and air pollution. Sadly, for many of us the areas we live in have been designed to favour cars rather than people, making walking unsafe, or unpleasant.
“With this award, we want to highlight the places and people already doing a great job to make walking easier in their local neighbourhoods.
“We also want to encourage others to think about the small changes they could make to improve the walkability of their neighbourhoods and health and wellbeing of their residents, while creating more vibrant communities.”
The Ramblers believes that one of the most important features of a walking neighbourhood is its ‘greenness’ or how well it connects people to the natural environment.
Local green spaces and routes make areas more attractive to walk and provide opportunities for physical activity as well as to relax, recharge and connect.
People living near green spaces are more likely to be physically active [1], with research showing that those who live within 500m of accessible green space are 24% more likely to meet recommended levels of physical activity.[2]
Vanessa added: “The majority of us live in built up areas, and evidence shows that communities highly value green spaces and routes in their neighbourhood and hugely benefit from having regular contact with the natural environment.
“We are keen to hear about neighbourhoods that have improved or created new green routes, spaces or features, because we know that these make neighbourhoods more appealing for walking, whether it’s for leisure or as a means of getting from A to B.”
DG1 in Dumfries made it to the final of last year’s award. The once a run-down and neglected neighbourhood was transformed by an injection of funding. The community developed their own innovative solutions to problems they had identified in the area. This included the creation of five civic spaces with street furniture, cycle parking, noticeboards and planters; street lighting upgrades; new street signs and the addition of places for people to stop and rest.
A neighbourhood is any district, community or area where people live and work – it could be the heart of a big city, or a small village with just a few streets and houses.
The finalists will be chosen by an expert panel and the winner will be decided by public vote in summer 2019.
To nominate your neighbourhood, visit
and tell us about the changes that have made it into a great place for walking.
The deadline for nominations is 3rd March 2019.
Bulb planting at West Pilton Park
Free family event at West Pilton Park
Friday 2nd November 12.30 – 2.00pm
CSGN environmental fund open for bids
Communities across the central belt can bring environmental and health benefits to their areas by bidding for a share of a fund worth up to £400,000. Continue reading CSGN environmental fund open for bids
Starbank Park up for national award
Newhaven’s Starbank Park is one of six in Edinburgh in the running for the Fields in Trust UK’s Best Park, as voted by YOU! Award. Competition will be tough – 360 parks and green spaces from all corners of the British Isles were nominated by the public. Continue reading Starbank Park up for national award
ParkLife: Breathing new life into West Pilton Park
West Pilton’s Parklife group had much to celebrate at this month’s annual general meeting – the group’s first. They now hope to build on successful events by encouraging more local people to get involved. Continue reading ParkLife: Breathing new life into West Pilton Park
The People’s Choice: Cast your vote in the Green Flag Awards
Cast your vote in the Green Flag Award People’s Choice 2017
Following the huge success of Love Parks Week, you now have another chance to show your love for your park.
Help find our country’s top 10 favourite parks by casting your vote for one of the 1,797 Green Flag Award winning parks – voting is open until 30th September and the top 10 People’s Choice parks will be announced on the 11th October.
To vote simply visit the Green Flag Award website, use the map to find your favourite park and click the ‘vote’ button.
Your favourite park is worth shouting about, so make your voice heard!
Boost for Scotland’s bees and butterflies
Ten-year plan to stop decline of pollinating insects
A new strategy has been launched to make Scotland a more pollinator friendly place by protecting indigenous bee and butterfly populations.
Since 1980 the number of pollinating insects in Scotland – honey bees, bumble bees, the solitary bee, butterflies and hoverflies – have declined by an estimated 51%, leading to fears of a negative impact on agriculture, food security, the economy and human health.
The Pollinator Strategy calls for:
- the restoration and creation of flower rich habitats,
- greater use of green urban infrastructures, such as roof top gardens
- the development and use of pollinator friendly pest control
- new research into the impact of climate change on bee and butterfly numbers
Speaking at The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham (pictured above) said: “Scotland’s biodiversity is one of our key assets, and the contribution the humble bumble bee and other pollinators make to this wonderful environment should not be underestimated. That is why we are committed to making Scotland a more pollinator friendly place.
“Pressures like land use change, pesticides, pollution, disease and climate change are threatening these life-giving insects, so we must act now to protect the pollinators and in turn safeguard our environment, our food and in turn our health.”
Scottish Natural Heritage has led the development of the Pollinator Strategy working closely with a range of environmental and land management organisations.
SNH chairman Mike Cantlay said: “Growing evidence shows our native bees and insects that carry out pollination are facing tough times. Pollination is crucial for our environment – and, therefore, our own health, wealth and wellbeing.
“This strategy, a key part of the Scottish Biodiversity 2020 route map, sets out what needs to be done to ensure these bees and insects survive and thrive for generations to come, contributing to healthy ecosystems and landscapes in our country. We look forward to continuing this important work with our partners to strengthen the resilience of our native pollinator species.”
City parks celebrate soaring success
A record- breaking 73 parks from across Scotland have been presented with a Green Flag Award this year in recognition of their high standards and provision of quality outdoor space – an increase of three over last year. Edinburgh is the greenest city of all with no less than 30 green flags!
Let’s look after our parks and green spaces
Visitors to Edinburgh’s parks, woodlands and nature reserves are being urged to take care over the summer months to avoid the risk of fire.
Parks and Greenspace Officers from the City of Edinburgh Council have reminded the public of the speed at which sparks or small flames can escalate, causing severe damage to local greenery and wildlife.
People are encouraged to ‘leave no trace’ after spending time in any of the sites by clearing away rubbish, properly extinguishing barbecues and disposing of cigarettes safely.
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: “In Edinburgh we are lucky to have such a wealth of parks and greenspaces, many of which offer areas of particular natural beauty and biodiversity.
“Of course it’s fantastic that residents and visitors to the Capital can enjoy these beautiful spaces, but I would encourage the public to treat them with care, ensuring they remain as welcoming to wildlife and people as they have always been.”
Natural Heritage Officer, David Kyles, added: “Fires can be devastating in parks and other more rural and upland areas. The breeding season for birds, between March and July and sometimes seasonally later, is a particularly vulnerable time for nesting birds, especially those that nest on or close to the ground.
“Fires that devastate areas can pose knock-on problems whereby small mammal populations can be significantly harmed, posing localised food shortage, loss of shelter and other sources of food and the general loss of habitat. Please act responsibly when out in Edinburgh’s countryside sites.”
Potentially vulnerable parks include Corstorphine Hill Local Nature Reserve, Easter Craiglockhart Hill Local Nature Reserve and Colinton Dell – areas popular for picnics, barbecues and building campfires over the warmer months.
However, at this time of year many of the sites are home to ground-nesting birds such as skylarks, willow warblers, curlews, lapwings, grouse and more common birds such as wrens, dunnocks and blackbirds, which settle in heather, gorse and low-lying dry shrubbery susceptible to catching fire.
Kenneth Rogers, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Local Senior Officer for Edinburgh, said: “Grass and wildfires are a common risk at this time of year when warmer weather dries out vegetation and grassland – which offers an ample fuel source. Just one heat source like a campfire ember can cause it to ignite and the if the wind changes direction even the smallest fire can spread uncontrollably and devastate entire hillsides.
“In the unfortunate instance that a fire is set deliberately, SFRS resources can be diverted from real emergencies. Through robust strategic planning we will always be able to respond to an emergency, however the fact remains that these fires can present a very real danger to our communities.”
Amongst precautions, the public are being urged to place disposable barbecues on bricks or sand to avoid overheating and consequently burning grass. Campfires are not permitted in woodland or shrubby areas and anyone building a fire is advised to choose a clear space away from trees and bushes, not to leave their fire unattended and to build a fire ring with stones. They must also ensure the fire is extinguished before leaving the site.