The Green Team (Edinburgh & Lothians)

Green Shoots Blog: 2011-2012
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You can read more about the Green Shoots programme on the About Green Shoots page. This News page gives you a flavour for what we've been doing recently, and you can also read news from 2006, 2007 , 2008, 2009 and 2010.

What’s been happening recently?

Yet again 2011 was a jam packed year for Green Shoots. The year began with the long awaited move to new office space in Tynecastle High School. This has been a really positive development, and allowed for both the establishment of new working relationships within Tynecastle High School and the strengthening of existing partnerships across the city from a more central location.

By the end of 2011 over 70 pupils had participated in a variety of conservation programmes, including one Transition programme, one Forest School and three referral programmes.

Funding from the Robertson Trust, Lloyds TSB, State Street Foundation and the Pentlands Neighbourhood Partnership ensured that Green Shoots was able to meet the increasing demands of providing young people with year-round opportunities to engage in conservation work and alternative forms of outdoor education.

We are delighted to announce that Green Shoots is now fully funded for the next two years courtesy of continued funding from the Robertson Trust and new funding from the Henry Smith Charity.

What’s coming up?

The spring Firrhill Forest School will kick off after the mid-term break, once again operating out of its regular home in Sanctuary Wood in the Pentland Hills. A tailor-made transition programme will support pupils making the move from local primaries to Tynecastle High School in the Easter-Summer term.

The ongoing Referral Programme will continue to work with S3 pupils in the first half of 2012. The programme will bring together pupils from across the city to work on a series of conservation projects with a view to building confidence, communication skills and teamwork, culminating in a series of challenging residentials.

Referrals for the current programme are closed, however if you would like to refer a pupil for a future programme, please click the links below for an information sheet and a referral form. Alternatively you are welcome to contact Sara Rasmussen (Raz) with any questions or for further details about engaging young people in Green Shoots programmes.

Contact | further details | referral form.

S1 REFERRAL PROGRAMME (February – April)

The second Green Shoots Referral programme targeting S1 pupils in the 2010/2011 season began in February, with pupils attending from Firrhill HS and St Augustine’s HS. Through a variety of conservation tasks the programme supported participants to work co-operatively with others, develop listening skills and encourage individuals to develop a positive attitude to responsible risk taking and working within boundaries.
The group undertook a variety of conservation tasks including, rhododendron clearance at Hopetoun House, raking a newly established wildflower meadow at the Water of Leith, tree thinning at Butterdean Forest, taming Japanese Knotweed near the Water of Leith, pathwork at Blackford Pond and cutting and burning at Springfield Mill in Midlothian. Despite experiencing some extremely wet weather, the group remained upbeat and seemed to enjoy getting as muddy as possible.
Further highlights of the programme included exploring the beaches at Yellowcraigs, visiting John Muir’s birthplace, frog spotting, building some mighty emergency shelters and being introduced to Ranger Jo’s secret cinnamon and brown sugar bread twisters.

S1 REFERRAL PROGRAMME (April – May)

Due to the high demand for places on the previous referral programme, a shorter third programme was squeezed in between April and May. The course was well attended with pupils from Tynecastle HS, Trinity Academy, Firrhill HS, Broughton HS and South Queensferry HS.
The group followed a similar programme to the previous referral programme, with Hopetoun House, Butterdean Wood and Springfield Mill all proving to be popular with the group. The fine Spring weather provided the group with the perfect opportunity to participate in some seasonal foraging, with wild garlic providing a welcome addition to the home made bannocks baked in the final session.
Many thanks again go to the Ranger Services at Hopetoun House, Midlothian Council and the Woodland Trust for supporting the programme.

TRANSISTION PROGRAMME (May – August)

The first Tynecastle transition programme began in May, working in partnership with Roseburn, Dalry and Balgreen Primaries to support pupils who had been identified as finding the jump up to High School challenging. The purpose of the programme was to use the experience of outdoor learning as a vehicle for establishing new friendships, build confidence and self-esteem, promote positive decision making and provide a safe environment for exploring any anxieties about the move up to High School. Longer term continuity in the programme was provided by Pauline Clancy, a behaviour support worker based in the High School with the responsibility of working with any vulnerable pupils identified at Tynecastle HS.
The group began with a firm favourite; rhododendron clearance at Hopetoun House. Fine weather, a huge fire and a cook out of sausages quickly saw the group begin to bond. From the jungles of Hopetoun, the group then explored the seaside haunts of John Muir, before tackling the worst of Scottish weather and the might of Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood park. Despite the rain the pupils did a great job of hand pulling giant piles of Rosebay willowherb, before completing the programme with another epic rhodie bash at Binning Wood in East Lothian.
It has been encouraging to hear that all the pupils involved in the programme have settled down into life at High School with relative ease.

ADVANCED PROGRAMME (June – September)

The Advanced Residential programme kicked off in great weather with a trip to visit our favourite ranger and dog team, Peter and Bobbie at Hopetoun House. The group, comprising pupils from South Queensferry, Tynecastle, St Augustine’s and Broughton High Schools, were quickly put to work helping to repair and install new path-edging. The group then put the fire lighting skills learnt from previous referral programmes to good use at their first group cook out.

Week 2 saw the group take a trip to Scotland’s National Scout Centre in Fife. After undertaking some brashing work around the archery range, the group tested their team work skills on the low ropes course, and engaged in some friendly rivalry with an archery competition. The group got extremely muddy at Jupiter Artland planting a reed bed to help support the filtration of the new pond and encourage the development of biodiversity. Much fun was had exploring the crazy artwork, but the stars of the show had to be the llamas. It’s a wonder one didn’t end up being smuggled into the back of the bus!

The first residential was at Charlotte Campbell house, nestled on the western fringes of the Pentland Hills. After discussing new group boundaries, the team headed off to Vogrie Country Park for a fantastic day of brashing, felling and burning, followed by an epic outdoor cooking banquet. The young ‘masterchef’ cooks made home-made burgers, hedgerow cocktails, popcorn, fresh pizzas (including dough) and chocolate bananas. The group’s cooking skills were put further to the test the following morning with a giant Sunday breakfast. Fuelled up and raring to go there was plenty of work to undertake at Buckie Brae in the Pentlands, with gorse thinning and clearing the cross drains the main focus of the task. The group then hiked to Woodhouselee Hill to play some tracking and camouflage games, much to the envy of the local young recruits who were also using the area for training.

After a week to recover and a session experimenting with cooking techniques, planning an outdoor menu and conquering Arthur’s Seat, the group headed to South Lanarkshire to camp in brand new tipis at Wiston Lodge. The three days were action packed. After an epic hike up Tinto Hill, the group successfully negotiated the challenges of cooking on an open fire in the dark to enjoy a fabulous curry and orangey baked muffins. The next day was equally adventurous. After a morning of learning traditional fire lighting skills with flint and steel, the group met up with Ranger Laura at The Falls of Clyde nature reserve to do a badger watch and bat walk. The group did fantastically well to sit still and remain focused and were rewarded with a glimpse of a badger returning to the set as dusk fell. The bats were less elusive and put on a fantastic display on the riverside walk back through the forest.

The final day was no less energetic. After another hearty breakfast and packing up camp, the group’s team work skills were further tested with the assault course, climbing wall and raft building challenges. There were plenty of smiles, laughter and of course wet moments!!

Sadly the group had to come to an end, but only after the final celebration. Keen to do something a little bit different and provide the pupils with the opportunity to share their enthusiasm and skills with their teachers and family, we held the final session in the woods in Colinton Dell. We couldn’t have asked for better weather as the participants guided the visitors through the simple conservation task of hand pulling thistles, taught skills in carving, shared their highs and lows, and reflected upon their achievements over the course of the programme. David Wyllie from the Green Team Board of Directors kindly took time out to present each young person with their certificate of achievement and highly coveted Green Team beanie.

The group was a fantastic success, full of achievements, laughter and camaraderie. A huge thanks to Ian Macneil and Dan Neill for their endless enthusiasm and energy throughout the delivery of the programme.

FOREST SCHOOL, Firhill HS (Sept - Dec)

The latest intake of S3 Prevoc pupils from Firrhill HS embarked on another 12-week Forest School programme. For once the weather gods ensured that the snow was kept at bay, although the group were unimpressed at the lack of sledging opportunities!

With the support of the Pentland Hill Ranger Service the group undertook a variety of conservation tasks, including improving the condition of local paths, cutting back overhanging vegetation, repairing a bridge, thinning gorse, raking a wildflower meadow and removing old fire sites.

The group explored the local woodland environment through a variety of games and environmental activities. They learned basic wilderness skills such as knot work, shelter building, axing and knife work skills, culminating in the fastest construction of a lean-to shelter yet! Tracking skills that engaged the senses provided plenty of comical moments, including sniffing an onion trail through the forest and stalking hoax rabbit.

Once again the group explored the wider context of the Pentland Hills. The participants undertook two hikes, one from Harlaw Reservoir and one from Glencourse, where the group battled extremely high winds with full expedition packs on to complete the route in record time. The group also hiked to a local farm to interview farmer Bob Barr and learn about the realities of farming in the Pentland Hills.

Despite perhaps being the windiest Forest School to date, the group persevered with learning outdoor cooking skills and fire management techniques, even managing to rustle up a vegetable ‘stoup’ and some well fired fresh bread! Huge thanks go once again to the continued support with Firrhill High School staff and the Pentland Hills Regional Park Rangers in the completion of another successful Forest School programme.

S3 REFERRAL PROGRAMME (October – Dec)

Following the completion of the successful S1 Referral programme and Advanced residential, the autumn brought the first of the S3 courses. The group comprised a balanced mix of girls and boys from Tynecastle, Broughton, Drummond and St Augustine’s High Schools. With the move from the east side of the city to the west, it was time to explore some new locations and working partnerships, in particular with the National Trust for Scotland and the Woodland Trust.

The Midlothian Council Ranger Team once again came up with a fantastic first task for the group involving brashing and thinning a copse of trees, and spreading grass cuttings with a view to helping re-establish a wildflower meadow. The first session landed on Halloween, so what better way to celebrate than with some traditional ‘dooking for apples’ and hands-free suspended donut eating!

Week 2 saw the group tackle a variety of drainage and pathwork tasks at Colinton Dell by the Water of Leith. Not only did the group spot a Kingfisher and have a smelly encounter with some fox scat, but they also completed an impressive group shelter and cooked chocolate bananas. Not bad for a day’s work!

A surprise gift of trees from Drummond High School went to good use on week 3, where the group planted blackthorn, hawthorn and beech saplings to form a new hedgerow. Not content with getting dirty planting trees, the pupils then got stuck into digging in some new drain pies to alleviate some of the flooding on the path. An afternoon of environmental games and toasted marshmallows rounded off the day.

The next two sessions saw the group work with the National Trust for Scotland, exploring two very different locations; The Pineapple, a Victorian walled garden, and Dollar Glen, a wild and remote gorge in the Ochill Hills. The group enjoyed building bat boxes, foraging for pears, developing tracking and hunting skills, scrubbing bridges, exploring the ruined Campbell Castle (including hunting for the old long drops) and completing a hike for spectacular views over the Forth valley.

All too soon the final session came round. What better place to end it than at Vogire Country Park, with a monster cut and burn task, perfect for baking bread on and reflecting on the achievements of the programme.

Massive thanks to Jo and Martin at Midlothian Council, Alan at the Woodland Trust and Bob from NTS. Finally, thanks and congratulations to volunteer Dan Neill, who co-lead his first full Green Shoots programme.

BITS AND BOBS – Tynecastle Excel Group, High Achievers, Girls Group

With the move to Tynecastle HS there was a great opportunity to work with new pupils in a series of taster sessions. This not only gave pupils the chance to get engaged in some hearty conservation work, but helped to demonstrate what on earth it was The Green Team actually does. After all, we are a unique little organisation!
Two groups of enthusiastic S3 pupils visited Hopetoun House for some en masse rhodie bashing, much to Peter the Ranger’s delight. Both the Xcel group, a programme designed to engage young people in vocational skills, and a mixed group of youngsters keen to get some respite from hard studying, did a great job of hacking, sawing and burning one of Scotland’s most invasive plants.

The final group was an all girl affair. The waterproofs and hard hats were met with some funny looks, but before too long the group had quickly adapted to their outdoor environment and were thinning and felling trees in the beautiful woods of Butterdean in East Lothian. The general consensus was that by the end of the day (and after a successful cheesy tortilla cookout), that The Green Team was “pure barry!”